Against All Odds
by SpaxTheTurtleClogger
Summary: Being her family's last hope for thriving in the gritty neighborhood of the Bronx, Natalia takes desperate measures and fights her way to victory in an underground all male fight club with the leader nipping at her heels for her victory, Allistor Kirkland. Slight BelarusXLiechtenstein, BelarusxSwitzerland, and then BelarusxScotland.
1. Prologue

_This is somewhere between romance, action, drama, etc. There are hints of what seem to be Belarus x Liechtenstein, Belarus x Switzerland, and then there's Belarus x Scotland._

_Prologue_

He always liked for me to tell him this story about how I came to be who I am. I'm no one special, really, but he seems to think differently. Although the memories bring me to my knees from a shaking remembrance of pain, I find that I am lonesome with a desire to feel it all again. If I could repeat this vicious cycle, I'd die from exhaustion. I would die from heartbreak. I would die from complete and utter tragedy. I would die from inexplicable happiness and a stomping victory that wounded me so. Even if I could drive away the memories and the scars, and all the stars and forget the bars, I'd be a bottomless pit of woe and worry, as I was so many years ago. You can stare at the scar on my shoulder still, but listen to its tale.


	2. Chapter 1

I wasn't ever really disappointed with my life or sad of how it was. We were foreign Slovak immigrants who moved to America in order to live a better life. After all, it was called the land of the free for a reason, right? I was adopted by a Ukrainian girl who had been traveling through Belarus to get to Russia. She picked me and our brother Ivan up on the way, him being found in Moscow. We were poor little orphans who lived in the slums, growing up to die early deaths in the gutters of the cities. When we moved to America, we lived in this state called New York, in the Bronx. When we moved there, big sister Katyusha had already earned enough money to get us a small, one room apartment. The people below us had a really bad drug addiction, so we always stayed inside after seven, in case they started screaming and shooting at each other again. I can faintly remember the sound of the man's wife screaming when she was shot in the leg, her husband telling her to "lay off the fucking needles." I didn't understand what he meant back then, and I didn't until I was in highschool. And highschool is actually a good place to start…

There is always one particular moment in time that I can withdraw my memories clearly from, starting on March thirteenth when I was nineteen. The night was crisp and cold still, winter just about to take its leave and the people ready to welcome spring with open arms. I was wearing the trousers and button up shirt of a young poor Negro boy who had grown up in the house below me, though he was slightly bigger around the waist than I was. My friend Vash, who was a year older than me and had just graduated, was with me and he had helped me tie a rope to keep the trousers up. We were wearing thin fleece jackets and paperboy hats to keep out faces hidden, our scarves pulled up and over our pale noses for warmth. He lived in Queens, the more nice and rich part of town. He was of Swiss decent, which I assumed was of close relation to German, and he had shaggy blonde locks and emerald green eyes, just like his little sister. We sat in the darkened alleyway that ran beside a small grocery store in Brooklyn that was about to shut down. As the lights were shut, we pressed ourselves against the aging brick wall of the apartment complex beside it, the shadows hiding our covered faces as the owner left. The moment he was out of sight, we gave a sign of ready and I took the lead. He watched my back from the shadows as I used a hairpin to pick the rusty old lock on the door, shoving it open with my shoulder for us to access. The moment the door was open we shut it and took out our flashlights, and ransacked the place of everything we could carry. We naturally locked the door again, as it would have been rude and careless of us not to. (Then again, why did we care about manners in the first place?) Vash wasn't talkative, and neither was I, so we travelled to Queens in a silence that was friendlier and more inviting than any conversation could have been. We were action people- Words couldn't express our emotions or thoughts the same way actions could.

I usually didn't spend too much time in the living room when Vash and I got back to his house since his sister was the real reason I always came back. She was someone I actually could smile in front of, or at times even laugh with. She used to have long blonde braids, but a year ago she cut her hair to match Vash's. She really looked up to him, and looked a lot like him. She was always glued to his side, but that changed only a little when we met my second year in highschool. We were in the same writing class together, and she was assigned to the seat next to mine. Her sweetness must have really rubbed me the wrong way, because in that first week I had slapped her for being too nosy. I still constantly regret it. But she always says that it's okay, and that she forgave me after what I had done. I still feel bad, as if all the kisses we shared that first year hadn't been full of regret and happiness that she had given me a chance to be friends with her. We stopped being an item once I started coming over, because her brother said it was inappropriate. I didn't think I deserved her, anyways. She was a good student, a rich girl, and a sweet heart. Any guy would kill to date her, and I couldn't be dying on my family quite yet. We were sitting in her room, her in her white night gown and I in my button up and undergarments. It was fairly impressive that Vash had grown accustomed to how his sister and I didn't really care if he was in the room when we were like that. She was actually modestly dressed, but my brother and I shared a room in the apartment. It didn't bother me if people saw my body, I'm just a person. Lili was sitting on her bed with me and Vash while he and I were going through our loot. The sun was going to be rising soon, and I would have to be cleaned up and home in bed in two hours before Kat got up for work. After we split the find even-even between us, I hurried and showered and Lili gave me one of her newer dresses that was sent to her by her father (his name was Roderich, and he was always away doing piano gigs over Europe) that was too big. I split from their house in a heartbeat, with Vash following me half way like he always did. We said good-bye with a wave, and I snuck into my apartment without notice. I sat the bag down and restocked the cupboards that Kat never noticed went empty, and curled into bed on the opposite side of the room as Ivan. But, before I did, I'll admit to having stopped and noted how adorable he looked when he was sleeping soundly like that. I also contemplated sneaking into his bed like I used to when we were younger, but he'd probably yell at me to go away and leave him alone if I did. But once I was finally in that bed, I cradled the pillow against my chest and refused to open my eyes until morning came.


	3. Chapter 2

Kat was already at work when I woke up later, and Ivan must have left to go work with his whores. I knew I shouldn't be so bitter towards them, but I knew even back then there was more going on between him and those Slovak boys. He refused to bring them home once that Toris guy had fallen head over heels for me and I broke his fingers. Kat always scolded me for it when I brought it up, but the look on Ivan's face was pretty priceless. I was walking around town with a note that Kat had given me recently tucked away inside my pocket, which I would usually stop to sit at a bench and read the Russian roots we all shared. The note was pretty much telling me that it might be time for Ivan to get a job soon, and me soon after, if our bill kept raising. It was hard for her to work with all of her back problems, and she often was sitting on break at the shop. I was always out looking for jobs that wouldn't take me from Vash and Lili, or ones I might enjoy that didn't ask for a diploma, since I dropped out my third year. Most places weren't hiring drop outs, especially women, so by one in the afternoon I'd decided I was out of luck looking for an occupation in the Bronx. I slumped down on one of the icy benches in the little park near my part of the neighborhood and lay my head back, staring at the clouds that travelled overhead. I was wearing an old hat to keep my hair out of my face, since it was long and blonde and seemed to have a mind of its own. I pulled my pale blue jacket closer and over my grey dress, my brown boots tacking away as I tapped my foot against the cement. My mind was everywhere at once, as if I had more than one. My only skills were fighting, lock-picking, and robbery. They probably wouldn't seem too impressive to an owner of anything, so there was no way I could ask for a job at a store. And if I didn't get a job soon, we would be out of a place to live. As I was sitting on that bench and pondered possible occupations of a drop out like me, I heard the sound of whistling and cat calls from the other side of the park, where a group of men a little older than me were standing around, smoking cigars with their hands stuffed inside their older thin jackets. I could tell from their build and the condition of their clothing they weren't factory workers, and they weren't store workers, either. Actually, I couldn't tell what occupation they could have had if they weren't either of those. I spent a lot of my time outside, but I usually saw the same type of people: black boys and girls or your average blonde or brunette. My family was considered special, since our hair was a blonde that was almost white, and our eyes were bluish violet. We had paler skin than the others around and our accents assumed we were foreigners. As if it were my place to judge when I saw that flash of bright, flaming red hair… He was very tall and slender, but it was obvious from the way his jacket was so tight on his forearm that he was built with more muscle than a lot of other men I've seen. I know I probably looked weird enough already, since I was the only girl in the state who looked like I did, but he didn't even seem to notice me. It was really a relief, because I didn't want to have to punch someone who looked so interesting. He flicked his cigarette out and stomped on it, and gave a one sided grin to his friends when he did. He hit one on the chest with the back of his hand and they all followed him into this large abandoned red brick building that hadn't been in use for years. I thought it was pretty odd, since it used to be a training area for old boxers. I heard that the original owner couldn't afford to keep the place running once it was almost burnt to the ground and he replaced the destroyed equipment. I'd always wanted to go inside, but Kat and Ivan would have yelled and grounded me from Vash and Lili.

I had gone around the neighborhood again in search of a job and returned to that exact same bench by nightfall. It was probably claimed as mine by now, since it was the only one I would sit in. If Vash wanted to see me or talk to me, he knew to meet me here before eleven at night, or else I'd go home or start a robbery on my own. I didn't have any plans tonight, though, since our shelves were stocked to the brims from the hit before. It was already ten, and it was freezing out. I was probably too tired from walking to wait on Vash anymore anyway, so I decided it was best I head home. I stood from my place and adjusted my hat before I crossed the park, the wet grass sticking to the bottom of my heels as I stepped onto the grey pavement. I noticed the lights were dimly lit in the old building all those men had entered many hours ago. I let my curiosity get the better of me as I ended up standing on tiptoe to peek inside the windows. I saw that those men were moving about quickly, some on the floor and some elevated higher than others on a huge box covered in white canvas and surrounded by ropes. Some were punching these large, dangling bags that hung from the ceiling, and others were tossing a ball. I noted a few of the men were the ones I had seen standing outside. I stepped away from the window, and noted that the front door wasn't where they entered. They had gone to the side of the building and disappeared from there. I followed where I had seen them go, and was brought to a large steel door that had e small outside handle on it. When I pulled on the handle to open it, the door did not budge. It was locked. I rolled my eyes in irritation and such secrecy and pulled the pin from my hair. With great difficulty did I, a half hour later, unlock the door and manage to pull it open. When I stepped inside, the hall was musky and dark, with only one light above my head and at the end of the hall turned on. I stepped down the hall cautiously, as there was only one door, and it was under the light at the end of the corridor. When I reached that door, I knocked on it anxiously, wondering if I would even be answered. When it opened, a tall, intimidating man with blonde slicked back hair and ocean blue eyes stared down at me, his lips in thin line as he realized that it was, indeed, a young teenaged girl who had taken him from whatever work he was doing. But, without any word, he stepped aside and swung his arm, gesturing for me to enter the room without any question. I did so. He held his chin high and had thick, muscular arms that were revealed by an old wife beater that was damp with sweat, even though it was obvious he didn't mind. Neither one of us wanted to break the ice, but I really couldn't stand being lead around by someone I didn't know and that wouldn't speak to me.

"Excuse me… Mr.."

"Ludwig Beilschmidt." He provided, his voice deep and thick with an accent like Roderich's. I assumed he was German with how he turned that 'w' into a 'v'.

"Da… Ludwig. I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to come in here or something, but I was wondering what you're all doing in this building. I saw a lot of those men from earlier in here hitting bags and fighting each other." We had walked decently far, past at least four doors. It was obvious some of these men lived here, since some had bunks in them. Another was a kitchen, one a bathroom, and the other had a lot of showers. When Ludwig stopped, I nearly ran into his back, but I backed up enough so it wouldn't seem like I was following him too closely. When I looked into the large room he had stopped in front of, I saw that it was what I'd seen when looking through the window. One of the males looked up and winked at me, causing Ludwig to stiffen enough that it drew even my attention.

"Ludwig~! Mon ami, 'o is our friend 'ere?" chirped one with long wavy blonde locks and deep blue eyes as he cupped my chin with a delicate hand. I gently pulled myself free of his grip, causing an almost rejected look to cover his face. "What is it thee men are doing?" I asked him, and I was no longer embarrassed with my accent when I had heard Ludwig's and the Frenchman's.

"They are training to go into boxing and underground fight club tournaments. Half of what they receive this place gets. It's not open to just anyone, though. If the boss doesn't want you in, you will not be let in."

"Then why did you not throw me out?" I asked.

"I think, just by seeing you, it wouldn't hurt to trust you." He gave an awkward kind of smile, probably something he wasn't really used to doing, but it was shattered when someone grunted behind us. I was turned around violently, as if whoever it was thought I couldn't manage to move on my own. I snapped my arm away from the hand that had grabbed it and glared. "You will not lay your filthy hands on me, damned man!" I sneered, not really caring who it was that had grabbed me. My only reply was a devilish grin that formed on the red haired man's face, which made me even angrier. For some reason, that cocky smirk made me even more hostile than usual. "Aye lass," he said, walking past me into the room, "Ye can't just waltz in here an' expect me t' not be wary of ye." He looked at all the training people around him, but he not once looked back at me. I turned to Ludwig. "Is it good money?"

"Ja, it is pretty good money. Especially if you win." The idea had settled with me when I had first looked into that window that, maybe, I could take up the same occupation these men had. "Where's the person who runs this place?"

As if the world could not be any more terrible to me.

Ludwig nodded to that Scotsman, who then turned and gave me a curious look with a raise of a thick brow. I really wanted to punch that confident aura that radiated from him, but I couldn't if I wanted to work out here. "Ye wanna try t' fight?" I nodded my head.

"Lass, ye can't fight here!" He laughed, his head thrown back as the sound reverberated through the room. All of the trainees were still hard at work, as if I weren't even there. As he laughed, my anger rose, until I had stomped forward. With one swift movement, I had wrapped an arm around his throat and knocked his feet out from under him, causing the two of us to collapse to the floor, where I pinned his arm under a knee and a hand, the other one holding on of my pocket blades to his throat, the blunt edge close to him.

And still, all he did was smirk at me.

"Alright, lass. Come back t'morrow. I'll give ye a chance." He chuckled, sitting up as I moved off of him. All of those training people had stopped and watched with puzzlement on their faces. I left then, all the more flustered and annoyed by this man's confidence! I hated to admit that it did sound nice though when he kept calling me lass.


	4. Chapter 3

I arrived at that building the next day with a bag slung over my shoulder and an annoyed Swiss boy on my heels. Vash had visited me early in the morning when Ivan and Kat were gone, and I explained to him that if I could make it in this business, I could make the money for my family and not have to have a piece of paper to prove my worth. And I had a score to settle with a certain red-head- But I left that part out. I entered the building by picking the lock once again and walked past the German man, who did not look up or ask questions about the blonde on my heels. I looked around, before back tracking. "Ludwig, I need to change into some clothes. Where can I do that?" I asked, ignoring Vash's pouting as Ludwig showed me to the shower rooms with all the lockers. There were a few boys sitting around in their boxers, and a couple jumped up and blushed when I walked in. It was fairly entertaining. I found an empty bench and sat my bag down and kicked off my heels, but my skirt was pulled back down when I began to take off my stockings. I looked at Vash with irritation. "What is your problem, Vash? I change in front of you and Lili all the time."

"Yes, but Lili and I know you! You don't know these guys, Natalia!" He barked back, and I noted that his face was red with annoyance. I rolled my eyes and continued to undress, ignoring the eyes that looked at me. "I'm a human. It's just a body, and not one that's too impressive, either. If I wanted to show anything off, I'd have brought Lili. They'd drool over her the same way I drooled on her." I slipped a pair of old green shorts on and rolled them once, noting that they were just big enough. Lili was smaller than me, so I couldn't do the usual "three rolls for comfort" in her shorts. I put on one of her old tank tops and pulled my hair back, too, before putting on a pair of Vash's socks. I don't know where I'd be without them to give me clothes like this. As we all sat in the shower rooms, more and more people began to arrive, and I was sure my presence made them a bit uncomfortable when they changed. I guess the fact that I was mainly focused on Vash's complaining helped, though, because no one made a comment or complaint. The boss walked in about an hour after we'd all arrived, and I found it odd that I couldn't bring myself to look at him. It was probably due to how much I really disliked him that his changing made me uncomfortable. When he was done, he called us to attention and pointed at me, curling his pointer finger inwards and out, motioning for me to go to him. I rolled my eyes in annoyance and walked forward, glaring at the Scot as he smirked at me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and leaned against my body, causing me to grunt and nearly fall from the added weight. The men in the room laughed, which in turn caused a glare to form on not only my face but Vash's, too.

"Alrighty, boys. This is Natalia Arlovksaya. She's a Belarusian and she's gonna come train with us." He chuckled, pinching my cheek and tugging it a bit before I slapped his hand away. I crossed my arms and twirled the end of my ponytail, glaring at Vash, who understood that I was ready to hurt this man beside me. One of the boys stood up and grabbed my chin, twisting my face back and forth as he examined me. He had dark blonde hair and blue eyes, and he wore squared off glasses. "Wow, boss! You finally let a girl in and she has to be so pretty!" His accent was surely American, and I later learned his name was Alfred F. Jones, and he was obsessed with being the hero. Boss lead me by my shoulders out of the shower room to the training room, and nearly pushed me onto one of the blue mats on the floor. I turned around with my pocketknife in my hand, but he made a tsk sound and shook his head. "Get on te floor, Natalia. You're gonna do fifty crunches. T' work te muscles in yer abdomen." He explained as he rested his hand on my stomach, but after a moment the smirk turned into a frown and he lifted the hem of my shirt just below my chest. I smacked his hand away and pulled it back down, giving him a glare with intention of murder. "I thought ye said ye were poor? Yer all muscle…" He mumbled at me as I sat on the floor and laid my hands behind my head. I began the crutches furiously, finishing within five minutes, hardly sweating. "She and I do this kinda stuff all the time. We have to stay in shape for when we-" "Vash!" I shouted, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "You don't need to go telling every person you meet my business. " I pushed him from me, irritated with how he was going to blurt out that we were thieves! "Go back to Lili. She'll get worried if one of us doesn't come home. Tell her I'll visit her when I'm done… At work." He nodded his head, understanding that I figured it better if he were to let me handle this on my own. I didn't want someone like him, or someone like Lili to get involved in my problems. Boss led me to one of the large bags that hung from the ceiling and took my fist in his hand and adjusted the position of my fingers and thumb, before stepping behind me, and forcing me to punch the bag. I winced from the pain that shot through my arm and shoulder, but I kept my face angry. Anger kept the pain at bay, as I've come to conclude over the years. He didn't make me hit it again, but dropped my arm and stepped away from behind me, leaving the room entirely. I turned back, and looked over at the boys who were staring at this odd picture of two moving enemies. When he came back in, he shoved me by my shoulders to sit on the ground and grabbed my hands and used this bandaging tape to wrap my fists, and then put pads against the knuckles. He did the same with my feet, too, which could have ended with me kicking him in his face. (I contemplated it.) But he was gentle when he was wrapping me up, so I decided it best not to start a fight. He stood up and held his hand out to help me up, but I was not going to accept his kindness. I stood on my own and ignored the gesture and flexed my fingers and toes. "Yer gonna punch that bag as hard, as fast, and as much as possible til te bell rings. Kick it, too. I just showed ye how t' throw a proper punch, ye can do te rest on yer own, lass." He said as he turned me by my shoulders to face the bag and walked away before I could make a comment. He blew a loud whistle, and suddenly all I heard was grunting and shouting and loud noises of men sacrificing their energy for that Scottish jerk. So I followed their lead and did so too. After I was done with the punching bag, I had to look around to ask whoever else was at my station what I was supposed to do. After that, I went to this thing called the peanut bag, where there was a huge blonde. He was probably taller than Ludwig, but he had blonde hair and blue eyes just like most of the people here. He also wore squared off glasses, but the look on his face was emotionless and almost scary. I followed his example of punching the bag as quickly as possible, jabbing it, actually. I sometimes missed, but I kept going until the whistle blew again, telling Berwald and I we needed to switch to some where we hadn't been. Next was where they tossed this ball between one another constantly, which actually looked kind of fun. A young boy with a tanned complexion and brown curls looked at me with a warm smile, and I noted he had emerald green eyes. "Hola, Senorita!" HE greeted, before tossing the ball to me. I held my hands up to catch it, but I nearly dropped it on my foot. "H-heavy…" I grunted as I had to use all my strength to throw it back at him. He chuckled. "Mio dio, senorita Natalia! You did not think it was going to be fun, did you?" I looked down at the ball as I latched onto it for security, keeping my eye on the time. I hadn't even realized it was almost eight.

Finally the last whistle blew, and we were released to go back and shower or change in the shower rooms. I was covered and slimy in sweat from all the working out, and they offered one of the three showers that had a curtain surrounding it. I thanked Alfred for offering it to me and shut the curtain as I stripped, turning on the water until it burned me. A thick mist covered the room and I could hear the others whistling, talking, laughing, shouting and joking around as men would do, but none addressed me. I was washing my hair thoroughly, until soap suds paraded down my arms and over my chest when I heard my name being shouted. I stuck an arm up and over the curtain so my hand was visible and gave a quick wave to show that I was busy, and began to rinse out my hair. I shut the water off, realizing most of the others were finished showering when I had been in there longer, and threw a towel around myself. I stepped out, and almost immediately was shoved back into the shower. "What the hell are you doing?" I shouted as the curtain was shut again and my bag was thrown over it.

"Get dressed in there, just get your undergarments on in there and then you can come out!" One of them yelled back, and I could tell from the way his voice faltered that he was embarrassed of my nudity. I rolled my eyes and threw my towel out, and slipped on my underpants and bra. They opened the curtain for me and I rolled my eyes, seeing as it was Alfred who had shoved me in. I sat down on the same spot that I had when I first arrived and grabbed my towel, and used it to ring my hair out. I then brushed it back and out of my face before I began to pat it dry. I hummed a bit, the lyrics of an old song Kat used to sing me when I was younger flitting through my mind until it was interrupted by the sound of a loud smack on skin and a yelp. I looked over instinctively before turning my head back. Of course that damned Scot was going to be walking around in just a towel! I lay my towel on the bench before grabbing my bag of clothes and found my stockings, and slipped them on quickly. Of course, as I buttoned up my dark blue blouse boss sat next to me on my bench and laughed. I inched myself away from him, uncomfortable with the few inches that separated us, and he only raised an eyebrow in question of me. I finished dressing myself before giving Ludwig a wave of good bye and left, holding my hand against my chest. I didn't really understand why my heart was thumping so much and so fast, but I could ask Lili about that when I got to her house.

Lili was brushing my hair as I told her about my "job" in the factory, which was run by a flaming haired Scot that really annoyed me.

"So we shower afterwards, he gives us a half hour off for that before we clock out. But you know what the problem is? It doesn't bother me that those guys are in there. It just bothers me when he's in the shower room. I just get really embarrassed and feel like hiding away, Lili! I dislike him that much." I was grouchy and irritated, and my ears were a similar shade of pink that was on my cheeks when I had to remember the scene in that shower room. It's not like it was one of those shameful embarrassments, but it did surprise me that it bothered me to see him, and it bothered me that he had seen me. I heard Lili breathe a giggle and put the brush down on the sofa next to her, and she wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head atop mine.

"You'll learn what names belong to what emotions eventually, Natalia." She whispered into my ear, giggling as I narrowed my eyes in thought as her words echoed through my head. What could she have meant?


	5. Chapter 4

_I wouldn't mind a few reviews~ o.o_

Ludwig advised me of a very strict dietary plan when I went to the gym last month. I was now eating two eggs, a side of ham and orange juice every morning with steak or some sort of meat for dinner, and I always had vegetables and fruits on hand. Kat thought my change in appetite was odd, and often commented that I was a young man coming of age. I knew she meant no harm, and I knew I had no reason to, but I always said she had better hope not, or Ivan would sweep me away. This would cause him to chuckle and her to sit down with an awkward smile, knowing that my bad attitude was coming from somewhere that was not her apartment. I remember that one morning I was packing my bag to go to the gym when she confronted me. All I told her was that I was making friends training to make her money and take care of her, and asked her what else she could possibly want from me. It wasn't her fault I was always in a bad mood, but I was tired and sore, and today wasn't a day I should have been working out and dealing with men.

**B**oss had told me that this was no reason for him to let me take it easy. I was irritated, bloated, and had cramps for the majority of the exercises. When I was supposed to be doing my crunches, though, I found it difficult to make it through the pain of my cramps as I was lying on my back. I stopped after ten and lay there, unable to move my body. Boss approached me and I turned my head to look up at him, breathing heavily. He stared down at me with his brows knit together and his lips in a tight frown, and somehow I managed to inwardly smirk at this change in facial features. He squatted down and grabbed my hair, picking my head off the ground painfully.  
"What d'ye think yer doin', girl?" He sneered, the smell of tobacco on his breath hitting my nostrils like a train wreck.  
"It hurts, quite a bit. Difficult to do the crunches…" I mumbled, snatching his wrist in my hand and attempting to bite it so he would release me from his iron grip. He let me go, and my head hit against the wooden floor of the gym. I could have sworn I heard it crack open, but there was no blood, so I decided it was not as bad as I had thought. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment, before looking me in the eyes seriously.  
"Natalia Arlovskaya, yer gonna get off yer ass and do these damn crunches. Because even if yer in pain, I know ye can get through it, because yer a determined little hard ass." He must have thought he was encouraging me, because he kept feeding me lines like this until I finished my crunches. Afterwards he helped me up and slapped me on the back, and I had managed to return to my cold exterior and hide my pain. He then put one of the head pieces on me and showed me how to put in a mouth piece and got me the right size of gloves.  
"Yer gettin' in te ring."  
I climbed inside the ropes that had recently been colored red and blue and stepped onto the newly lain white canvas that was the ring. I had seen many of the others spar inside of it, especially Alfred and Berwald. When boss stepped out of the ring, Berwald stepped in. I knew I was going to have to work through this pain now. The Scotsman seemed a bit hesitant to start the match between us, and I noticed he seemed almost worried before he smirked. He rang a bell, and all I saw was a flash of white skin and blond hair coming at me, causing me to barely side-step his fist. I heard a little bit of cheering going on behind me, but I couldn't turn to look because the Swede's leg was coming at me from the right, and I thrust my arms up and covered my face. It hit with such an impact it actually made me move halfway across the ring!  
"Good goin' lass! Keep it up! Try t' find an openin' and take a jab!" I heard boss shout at me, which I almost turned my attention to. As if somehow motivated to land at least one hit on him, I saw his opening: He moved his right half slower than the left, which gave me an advantage.  
_Jab jab jab jab kick jab uppercut…  
_I threw a punch to his left, and when he moved to block it, with all my might I brought my leg up and swung it towards his head. I could feel the smallest smirk rise, but it soon faded.  
His fist collided with my stomach as my knee collided with his skull, and I dropped to the ground instantly. My arms instinctively wrapped themselves around my stomach and I clenched my sides, breathing in through locked jaws that shook in pain. I bit my lip to keep the swelling tears back, and blood began to drip from it. I was in too much pain. I looked up and saw that boss was screaming at Berwald, which I didn't really understand since he was only trying to spar me, but I had to advert my eyes when he crouched down at my side.  
"Ye okay, lass? C'mere, lemme get ya up." He picked me up, an arm resting under my thighs and another under my neck. He was being oddly gentle with me, which I was grateful for as my head was spinning and my body was screaming in torturous pain. "I just… I need a drink of water." I managed to cough, and soon there was a bottle that I downed in minutes. I was already feeling better. Boss began to yell at someone, but I was so concerned with bleeding through that I needed to gain his attention. I also wanted to shower, so I could calm down and relax. When I asked he nodded his head and climbed out of the ring with me in his arms. He sat me down inside the locker room on the bench that I've claimed as my own, and sat there until he was sure I could stand and move on my own and left. I climbed inside the shower and sighed in relief as the flaming hot water pierced my skin, and I happily watched it begin to turn a crimson pink from the intense heat of the small droplets. I ran my soapy hands through my hair and over my body, the soap suds looking like clothes when I looked down and saw them covering the entirety of my chest and stomach. I thought for only a moment I had heard someone come in, but when I stuck my head out of the shower curtain to check, no one was there.

_Maybe it was just a ghost?_

When I was finished, I dried off and dressed myself, being careful of my stomach because I could already see the bruise forming like a purple shadow of a boxer's fist. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and walked into the gym, drinking from a water bottle left in the locker room (most likely by Alfred.) I dropped it, though.  
Boss had Berwald held by the collar of his shirt, and he was shouting something with such a strong accent that all I understood was "punch" "baby" and "dead." I located Ludwig and tugged on his shirt, which he responded to me with a slight jump. "Natalia, are you alright?" He asked me, obvious concern in his blue eyes. "Da, I am fine. Why is boss so angry with Berwald? He only did what he was supposed to." I grumbled, crossing my arms over my chest.  
"It seems he is just protective over you. He might just think Berwald was too hard on you for your fi- Natalia? What are you doing?" I grabbed boss by his shoulder and turned him around, causing even Berwald's eyes to widen in shock (or was it fear for my life?) at my actions. Boss was in the middle of making a threat until he realized I was the one who had grabbed him, and I saw him turn from anger to worry. Why? "What d'ye think yer doin' lass? Ye should be layin' down!" He turned me around and tried to push me over to the door, but I swatted his hands away from my shoulders. "Why are you so angry with Berwald? I am fine. If you were going to become this upset over me getting hurt, you should have-" He cut me off though. He told me to get my coat and that he was going to take me home. And that if I protested, he was going to kick me out. I sighed and obeyed his command, slipping my heavy coat onto my small frame and putting on my boots. When I told him I was ready, he nodded his head and told Ludwig "to keep an eye on these fucks" as he slammed the door behind him. He asked me to lead the way, and so I walked ahead for about twenty minutes. The silence was unnerving. Even the cigarette smoke was driving me insane.  
"Why are you so concerned about me?" I finally managed to ask without hesitation, keeping my face as apathetic as possible with these constant cramps. He offered a sigh, before rubbing the back of his neck.  
"Can't have a mum-to-be gettin' hurt, can I?" He snorted, nodding his head in approval of his comment. I, though, could not help but laugh. I covered my face with my hands, my laughter dry and awkward sounding, as I hardly ever did this. He looked at me in annoyance and confusion.  
"I… I am not pregnant! There is no one to father this supposed child!" I choked out, my laughter turning into a fit of giggles that was uncontrollable. He furrowed his thick eyebrows together and frowned at my laughter. "Thought ye and the moody boy were together?" We had walked onto my street, and I saw sister's light on. She was probably very worried that I was out so late on a Sunday.  
"Nyet, we are only friends." I commented, finding the idea of Vash and I, being in a relationship of all things, hard to imagine. Before he could make another comment, the door opened behind us and I turned to see Katyusha and Ivan standing in the doorway. Kat had a displeased, yet soft look on her face. I knew I was either in trouble for being late or for being with a male.  
"And who is your friend here, sestra?" She asked, her voice going up an octave from confronting me. I looked back to boss, who raised an eyebrow at me. I suddenly felt insecure.  
"Allistor Kirkland, ma'am. Pleasure to meet ye." He titled his paperboy hat to her, earning a small smile in return. Kat looked to me, and I looked from her to Allistor in confusion, and almost anger. "What is his relation to you, sestra?" That question made my breathing stop. How was I supposed to tell her he trained me and ended up getting me punched straight in the gut? He looked at me, and I knew there was something going on his mind when he smirked. It pissed me off. "Just an acquaintance. But I'm sure to be seein' more of yer pretty sister here, if that's alright by ye." Kat nodded her head in approval before laying her eyes on me one last time, and I could tell from the way she tried _not_ to smile I'd have to explain something to her later. _But what the Hell am I supposed to say?_ I turned when I heard Allistor let out a chuckle, making my face flush slightly. I could feel the heat up into the very tips of my ears. "What?" I snapped quickly, glaring at him murderously. He only shook his head and smirked at me, making my eyebrow twitch in frustration. I looked to the door, but my eyes widened when he grabbed my chin and turned me back to face him. I was busy slapping his hand away to protest the kiss he planted to my forehead- and I was lost. He pulled away from me and escaped to the other side of the street with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He glanced back, and the only reason I had even caught him in the act was because _I couldn't move._

**"I** think I'm going insane, Lili." I grumbled into her pillow, the younger girl reading a book in her lap as she chewed on her pencil. She somehow never was good at mathematics. "Why is that, Natalia?" She asked, putting the book and pencil down as she crawled to me. She lay by my side on her stomach, mimicking the way I had my face buried into the pillow. "He kissed me on the forehead… I couldn't move! My legs were… They were like pudding!" I nearly shouted, feeling my face heat up once again. Lili only chuckled at my pain! "Natalia, I think you know what's really going on here. You didn't react this badly when we were together!" She cooed, petting my hair gently as I sat, frozen in place by her words.  
_Oh God.  
Please, don't just randomly come to the realization that-  
Shit!_

I left the moment she had fallen asleep.


	6. Chapter 5

I'd been training for four months. Entering the ring was now my main training activity. The new season was coming up fast, and boss was hoping I would be prepared for entering the competition. I gave Antonio a single knockout and lasted three rounds with Berwald before he gave up. My endurance and speed were topnotch, as boss had said, my accuracy was up to par, and my strength was in my legs. My kicks were furious. I had once knocked boss out of the ring using nothing by my legs as an offense and my arms as defense; he praised me for my excellent work and my ability to observe the other's movements and technique in moments. "A real fighter" he had called me. I set foot into the ring as I did every day, slipping my mouth piece into place so that my teeth clenched down on it tightly. Now it was time for my ultimate challenge: fighting boss without any limitations. Though I was confident in my ability to stand my ground, I'd never seen him fight. He always stayed out of the ring unless he was helping someone perfect a hit, which they would throw at him. I'd never actually seen him in the ring, though it was intimidating when he was doing warm ups. He crawled inside, in his sweatshirt and slacks as usual. He had on his headset and had put on his gloves, which were a shade of red that clashed with my blue. We stood in the middle of the canvas, our arms up and ready to punch as soon as the bell rang. And, the moment it did, I threw a kick straight to his gut. Even though it landed with all my strength thrown into it, he only moved a foot from his original place! I threw my entire body into a left hook, and as he moved to the right, I made a quick hookback and circled around, bringing a right jab into his forearm the moment he turned to face me. With annoyance underlying my calm exterior, I threw a consistent set of jabs at him, though he managed to block each and every one of them. _How the Hell is he pulling this off?!_ I mentally screamed, gritting my teeth as a sudden fist collided with my side. I held my breath for only a moment, before moving in closer to get an easier hit. Ducking down was my best shot, earning me the chance to shove my fist against his stomach as hard as I could. I heard a grunt, and a smirk began to form. Until I felt his arms wrap around my head and pull me back up and toss me back, causing me to lose my balance as I stumbled away. Catching myself I threw my arms up to cover my face, a sudden onslaught of fists that thrust against my arms, the appendages often slamming against my face from the force he used. After only moments, He swung his arm past my blockade and into my stomach, causing me to let out a squeak of pain. I jumped back, tired of being on the defensive before I threw myself back in, Pounding away at his arms and stomach as quickly as I could, throwing in an uppercut or two as I hit.  
The end result was that I lost. I sat in the middle of the ring with a water bottle between my legs. I threw my gloves and head gear off in anger, angry tears stinging in my eyes as I forced them to retreat. "I lost…" I mumbled to myself, my head resting in my hands. "I'll have to get a real job and quit training. I'm not bringing home any money…" As if things could get any worse, the commentary Lili and I had shared only weeks ago flit through my mind.  
_"Maybe I'm finally starting to get what you've been telling me."  
"Really?"  
"Da…  
I've developed feelings for boss."_

I could see my hair pooling around my legs as I stared through my fingers, the blonde locks slowly falling from the ribbon that held them back. I took a shaky breath to calm my nerves and held it, unveiling my face and tying my hair ribbon back into a bow atop my head. I closed my eyes for a few minutes before letting myself open them again, and nearly jumped when I saw boss sitting in front of my Indian style, his bright green eyes watching my face for any sort of emotion. _A shame_, I thought, _But I've already learned to hide it in the best of moments._ He patted me on the back and started to climb out of the ring. "Come on- Get to me office, Natty."  
I could only nod my head and crawl out after him, following to the large room that was furnished in wood and red leather chairs, a large bookshelf that had I ever gotten close enough to the Scotsman I would certainly have spent hours reading, and a fridge stocked with some of the finest Scottish whiskey and brandy I'd never tasted. He got a bottle out of the fridge and sat, and with a hand gesture had me sitting across from him in only moments. "Nat, though ye lost in our little fight, ye did a good job in all of it." He said, taking a drink straight from the bottle of his alcohol.  
"I lost, though."  
"Aye, ye did lass. But no one's ever beat me in a fight." He gave me a cocky grin as he put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, taking a huff before resting it between two fingers. "Now, yer gonna sign these forms out when ye get home tonight. Which, by te way, you'll be leavin' now. It's gettin' late and I don't want yer sister t' freak out again. And I heard news about te rapist runnin' around." This caused my eyes to narrow slightly, as I had not heard of such a thing occurring. Yes, I didn't own a radio or a television, but I was sure Ivan or Kat would have heard from someone, or Vash, at least. "I'm walkin' ye home again. And don't complain about it. He's only taken a bunch of girls and I aint havin' ye hurt before yer first match." I nodded my head as I took the folder of papers and stuffed it into my bag. I changed quickly and without a shower and put on my jacket, throwing my bag over my shoulder and waving good bye to Alfred and Ludwig.

Boss didn't talk much with me as we walked to my apartment; the only real sound anymore was of cars driving by us and the occasional drunkard stumbling by. I could always trust to zone out when he was walking with me, since I knew he was on alert the entire time. I was staring down at my shoes thoughtlessly, before I nearly walked past my apartment building. He grabbed hold of my shoulder and pulled me back, causing me to stumble back. I shot him a glare until I realized that I was home, and he chuckled at me. "Spasibo, boss." I scowled, opening my door quickly to get inside as quickly as possible. "Welcome, lass." Was all I heard from him through the door. I walked up the stairs and entered my apartment complex as quietly as possible, wondering if Kat and Ivan were already asleep. They weren't, because Ivan was sitting on the couch with a book in his lap while Kat was doing the dishes from dinner. She turned and smiled at me in a motherly way that almost made me gag.  
"Natalia! Please, I know you just got home, but could you take the trash out? Vanya has hurt his hand, so he cannot." She turned back to the dishes and scrubbed away at something covered in cheese and butter, which didn't sound too appetizing. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the bag from the can and tied it together, noting how it smelled of chowder and bread. I hauled it over my shoulder and stomped outside and behind the apartment building, throwing the bag into the oversized dumpster that was going to end up being picked up Monday morning, as per usual. I shut the lid to keep the stray animals out of it and wiped my hands off on my jacket, grumbling in my native tongue. I turned, hearing something that sounded like an animal, planning on harming anything that wanted to tear out the garbage that I would have to pick up. When I did, though, I only saw a flash of tan skin and long, shaggy locks of a dirty blonde. The male grabbed my wrists in a single hand and held a knife against my throat, most likely stolen from my pocket as he grabbed me. I did not struggle against him thanks to the blade.  
"Who are you and what do you want?" I hissed, my tone threatening yet calm, and I heard the man behind me snicker at my hostility.  
"Now look doll-face," _As if I haven't been told I'm like a doll before, asshole,_I commented in my head, "We're gonna go back to my place, or you're gonna end up with a slit throat. Understand?" He chuckled when I did not reply, and slid a hand up my thigh as he whispered English words that I could not understand. What was it with serious situations making me forget my second tongue?  
"Atrymajecie vašy ahidnyja ruki preč ad mianie!" I screamed, thrashing my legs around until he snatched his hand back. He chuckled, the sound disgustingly familiar, almost as if I had met this man before. I craned my neck as far back as I possibly could to see his face, but it was covered. All I could see were sea-green eyes that stared down at me, bags under them as if he had not slept for days. His hand trailed further up, causing a loud grunt and Belarusian curses to escape my lips as I tried to make him leave my body alone. As my mind fell into deeper thoughts, I felt the blade leave my neck and the hands tear from my wrists, and I heard the sound of bone against bone. Turning, my body almost fell from relief. Boss, for some reason I could not fathom, had come back and heard me cursing at this man. He had the man pinned to the wall and his fists were attacking him furiously, a cut fresh on the attacker's left brow. I snatched boss' arms and pulled him away, watching the rapist run in fear of his life as I held the Scot back. He was breathing heavily, as was I, and my hold on his arms only tightened. He turned to me after possibly, what seemed like twenty minutes of us standing there, and took his arm from my grasp. I looked back to him, suddenly aware of my previous situation.  
_Without Boss, I would have been raped._  
I was embarrassed to admit to it, but I grabbed hold of him, and with my weakened arms I held him as I cried to my heart's content. He held me close, nearly cradled me in his chest, before he finally spoke to me.  
"Lass, lemme get ye in yer house. I'll tell yer sister about what happened, and go home." I nodded my head without complaint, taking a shaky breath to calm myself as we walked to the front of the apartment, up the stairs, and into my home. My sister cradled me in her lap and brushed my hair, thanking boss constantly as he sat at the other end of the couch. I looked up as Ivan entered the living room from the door, taking off his scarf and coat and throwing them on the chair. He was asking us about our days in Russian, which I noticed Boss was irritated with. When Ivan turned, his brow furrowed and he had a deep-set frown on his face, before it turned to worry when he looked at me. "Is everything all right, sestra?" He asked, shoving himself between Boss and I on the couch as he wrapped an arm around me, pulling me into an embrace. I nodded my head before taking a breath and standing up. I grabbed Boss's coat and escorted him to the door, Ivan's eyes following in suspicion.  
"Spasibo, Boss. For saving me." I mumbled, holding his coat out to him before opening the door. He nodded at me, his usual cocky grin coming back. "Not a problem, lass. Just keep safe. I'll see ye at te gym tomorrow."

**I**t was finally my first match.  
I was sitting in the ring with boss behind me, rubbing my shoulders to life as we awaited my opponent to enter the building. I honestly couldn't hear what he and Al were saying over the roar of the crowd, but I could hear plenty of men telling him to get me out of the ring. Finally, my enemy had stepped into the ring, and the look on his face was unexplainable. I was not sure if he did not want to fight me for being female or if he was confused as to who he was, but he stood and entered the middle of the ring.  
"Go get 'im, lass."  
I followed suit, standing in the middle with my arms up and fists balled, before hearing a snickering that made me furrow my brow. I ignored it, though, and shook his hand when offered to me to show that I was a good sportsman. I heard the announcer going on with introductions to us, our names, nationality, weight, height, and our trainers. Soon enough, the bell rang, and with one step my fist made contact to his face. He stumbled back, a sudden wild look in his eyes that seemed to catch my interest. They looked oddly familiar, and I thought back to the name given off. In my distraction, he shoved his fist into my stomach which had been open for attack. I stepped back and was under attack by a barrage of fists, and soon the bell rang again to signal the time being over. I went back to my corner and sat, boss's voice ringing loudly in my ear. "What's gotten into ye, lass?!" He shouted, taking my chin in his hand and pulling my face to him. "His eyes…" I murmured, unable to pin down where I had seen them before, until the smell of tobacco on Boss's breath interrupted my thoughts. He was very close to my face when he was shouting at me. I threw myself back into the fight when the bell rang again, his sea green eyes angering beyond control. I could see him losing his breath, running slower than before after three rounds of fighting.  
_Sea green eyes?_  
And suddenly, I felt a rage shoot through my body that I had not felt in years. My fists came down harder and faster into his being, my jabs turning into all out punching and my uppercuts throwing him back until blood was pouring from his mouth and his nose and his brow, his body slumping down. He fell hard onto the canvas, his blood staining my gloves as I stood above him, the crowd silent before Boss and Alfred began to applaud. The rest of the observers followed their lead, screaming my name and applauding me for such a show. I spat on the man at my feet in hatred, pulling him up and holding him by his shoulders. He was awake.  
"Do you remember me, Natalia?" He asked, a small grin on his lips that made me want to rip out his tongue.  
"Da. I hope you remember me when I sit your ass in jail, piece of shit."  
I dropped him and listened to him cry out in pain, and was grabbed by the referee. He held my hand high into the air and with a microphone shouted "Your winner! Natalia Arlovskaya, the first woman to ever box in this ring!" And as the crowd cheered, I felt some sort of enthusiasm run down my spine, raising my hand and shouting "Spasibo!" As loudly to the cheering people as I could. Boss jumped into the ring, and in moments I had dashed to him, my hands on his face and my lips pressed to his in the heat of the moment.  
_Oh, God no._  
He returned my kiss, but I pulled back, my face red and burning, my throat dry with embarrassment. He looked down at me for only a moment, before a devilish grin passed to his smile and he pulled me from the ring. I heard Alfred whooping and cat-calling behind us, and many of the people crowded us as we walked. He ignored them, though, still dragging me along until he had me outside in the warm September air. It was dark and the lights were blaring down on the actual street, but this alleyway was darkened with the backdoor to the fight club down below shut and barred. If it weren't for the cars and the obnoxious jazz music, along with what sounded like Elvis and Chubby Checkers playing loudly all around us, the small muffled moans from us would have been heard by the passersby who would look for the shadow-clad couple. He had my shoved against the grey cement wall behind us, my hands kneading through his fiery red locks as his arms wrapped around me and held me tighter against him.  
"Get to te car, Nat." He whispered in my ear, sending shivers up and down my entire body. I nodded my head and stumbled my way over to his old car, which wasn't too shabby. I wouldn't call it a jalopy, though. He crawled in on the driver's side, but rather than starting the car he threw the console up and grabbed me by my jacket and pulled me over, flipping me so that my back was against the door. His laps latched onto the flesh of my throat, earning a gasp and moan from me that was louder than before. He chuckled at my reaction, his breath sending a tingle up my spine, the same way his hands running up and down my sides did.  
"What got ye so feisty in the ring, luv?" He asked, biting down on my neck in a painfully pleasurable kiss. "T-that guy," _Oh, wonderful, stuttering fool!_ "Was the guy from the alley." His kisses stopped and he sat back, staring at me with a stony expression. I took a deep breath to calm myself, sitting upright. "What, Allistor?"  
"Way t' ruin te fuckin' moment, Nat. Get yer belt on, I'm takin' ye home!"

**I** tried to figure out how I had ruined the moment at all by telling him the truth, but perhaps he was entering playful banter rather than actually wanting a serious answer? I had no idea- It was obvious he'd done that before, but I had not! I got out of the car and he rolled down the window, whistling at me. I turned back to look at him, and he called me back with a finger. I leaned down to look through the window, and with a swift peck on the lips, he was gone and down the road. I rolled my eyes and went into the apartment complex, and climbing the stairs I felt my throat to begin to throb.  
_Fucking wonderful._ Exactly what I needed after getting punched in the stomach and all over. I fumbled with my keys, but before I could open the door, Ivan slammed it open and grabbed my arm. He pulled me into the living against my protests, and sat me down. He threw my jacket off of me, and his eyes narrowed. "So you come home with marks on your throat, sestra?! Who did this to you? Was it that man?" He asked, his voice elevated to a level I was unaccustomed to. But, rather than worry and try to soothe him, a growl left my throat as I shoved a finger into his chest. "Why the fuck does it matter who did this to me? If it _was_ Allistor then you shouldn't care, because at least he and I have known each other for a while before we started doing anything unlike you and your fucking whores!" I shouted, and these words caused Kat to run out of her room. In moments, her hand was across my face in a slap, my eyes widened in disbelief. "Sestra! You will not talk to Vanya that way when he asked you who did this to you!" I ignored her question, grabbing my jacket and throwing it onto my body and buttoning it up. Ivan and Kat watched me in confusion, but when I opened the door, they realized that I was leaving. "Natalia! Natalia, where are you going? Natalia do not ignore me! Nata-" I slammed the door on them and dashed down the stairs, hoping Lili or Vash was still awake.


	7. Chapter 6

_Ohmegosh,  
et12356 I can't give that away at all! xD But thank you SO much for your feedback. It's really made me want to write this even better! Spasibo~.  
OurPeaceableKingdom I certainly LOVE this pairing. I RP it and fell in love with it in a heartbeat! i'm gI'd people enjoy it. C: Thank you!_

**L**ili was always too sweet to me, even when we were together. She had given me an icepack to keep on my stomach and was brushing my hair while Vash was out at the gym trying to get Bo- I mean Allistor's phone number. If anything, I felt worse than usual, and it would have been nice to have a demanding, rude, idiotic pep-talk right now. As if God had smiled down on me for once, in stepped my friend and my boss, who shrugged out of his overcoat and jacket. I noted with distracted thoughts that, though I had thought him slim before, he was actually very muscular. He caught my gaze and with a smirk had me avoiding his eyes, focusing on holding the ice pack against my aches and pains.  
"Thanks for te call, Vash." He said, nodding to my friend who only put his jacket into the coat closet before stomping down the hall and into the kitchen. Allistor rolled his eyes and sat on the couch beside Lili, who said hello and introduced herself to him. I listened to their conversation about my hair for probably twenty minutes, my mind peaceful and clear and almost thoughtless. It was something close to an hour of calm thoughts and the sound of Lili giggling at some sort of joke Allistor made before my breath caught in my throat. "Lili…" I mumbled, turning to look at the small blonde with urgency in my voice and eyes. She looked at me with worry before nodding her head at my obvious command to leave with me. Allistor watched us leave, and I looked at him until I was around the corner and walking down the corridor, past the kitchen and up the stairs, Lili's small feet tapping on the hardwood floors behind me. Vash looked out at us from the kitchen doorway and I used my hand to tell him to leave us be, and he obeyed. We went into her room and I shut the door, locking it completely as I sat her on the bed.  
"Lili." I stated, looking at her with a seriousness that was almost frightful. She stared at me wide eyed, nodding her head in question. "Yes, Nat?"  
"Allistor is here. He knows where you live. This is bad!" I groaned, laying my face in her lap as I held tightly to her arms. She only laughed, patting my head. "All that means is that he can come find you when he wants to give you more marks!" I slapped my hand against my throat which only caused it to throb more, and I shot a glare at her. She only chuckled at the look before grabbing me by the hand and taking me back down to the living room, where I stopped cold. Vash and Allistor didn't look too happy with one another, and I couldn't figure out what had happened. Why was my voice so childish?  
"Vash, Allistor? What's going on?" I sounded like Katyusha.  
Neither one offered any explanation, but Allistor's scowl and anger made it obvious that he and Vash had some sort of argument in the few minutes I was gone. Allistor grabbed his coat from the closet and shrugged his arms inside of it, and I grabbed hold of his arm. "Allistor, what happened?" Though my voice was barely audible, I knew he had heard me. He turned and looked back, the hallway leading into the living room cut off from view. He kissed me gently on my forehead, before whispering seriously to me. I nodded my head in understanding. He left swiftly after that, and I stalked into the living room. Vash and Lili were on the couch with Vash glaring at the ground and his sister munching on some sort of sweet he'd made. I could feel my anger bubbling up, but instead of letting myself march off somewhere else, I grabbed Vash by his arm and pulled him off the couch. "What the fuck did you two even fight about?" I shouted, causing Lili to jump and Vash to flinch in surprise of my voice. It took him a minute to register that I had asked him a question before he growled, his poor temper rising as much as mine had.  
"What? Why are you yelling at me? He's the one who got you kicked out of your damn house because he couldn't control himself and left marks all over you!" He retaliated, causing me to bite my lip in almost angry embarrassment. "I didn't tell him to stop once! I don't see why it's only his fault when I fucking enjoyed _every second of it_."  
His face was priceless.  
Then again, so was mine when he grabbed my shoulders and kissed me, harshly but briefly, and I was unsure of what had even happened. He pushed me away from him and stomped down the opposite hall, headed to his bedroom on the third floor of the house. I stared at Lili with wild shock and she only shook her head at me, grabbed my hand and took me to bed.

As Lili curled up on the bed next to me, she intertwined our fingers together, causing me to look over at her. She hadn't done this for a very long time… Not since her last nightmare. She curled up next to me and laid her head on my chest, making it nearly impossible for me to leave without waking her up.  
She thought that through, didn't she? Though if I needed to go the bathroom, that'd be a completely different story. When I could finally hear her snoring lightly and gently from beside me, I curled out from under her arm and slipped into my clothes from before and put on my shoes. I looked outside to see that it was only near eleven at night, and I was going to be early for my little appointment. I crawled from the balcony that hung from Lili's room and connected to the large ornate bathroom down into the garden of their home and snaked my way through the bushes, past the pond and over the wall. I slipped from the top of the wall and landed on my feet, grunting when a small shot of pain made its way through my legs as if it had been welcomed with open arms. I ignored the pain and stood, looking back to see if Lili or Vash had woken up and followed me. I thanked my lucky stars and pulled my jacket closer to my body as I huddled down and scuttled down the dark street. I noted the street signs and the building names, using them to help me find the park I was informed of in this part of town. It was difficult, but after a half hour I managed to find my way.  
"Well hello Nat~." He chuckled, flicking the ashes from his cigarette onto the ground before he threw it down and stomped it out.  
"Privet, Alli." I greeted in return, willfully prepared to deal with his banter for such a nickname. Though to my surprise he only grinned at me and grabbed my hand from my pocket, and began dragging me away.

**A**llistor's house was huge. It was in the middle of nowhere, so that was probably why. It was made entirely from stone, not brick like many other houses. It looked old with the greenery and vines that grew on the outside of it and the wooden window shades and old cracked wooden door. He did not knock or unlock the door, as it was not locked in the first place. He opened it up and pulled me inside, and shut it behind us to lock the bolts. He threw his coat onto the floor beside the coatrack and took my jacket from me, placing it on the hook that had his name above it. _That's actually kind of sweet._  
Fuck, was I turning into some sort of idiot?  
As if he had read my mind, he chuckled and walked further into the house until he came into what looked like the kitchen, and I trailed behind half-heartedly, finding myself wanting to stop and observe every inch of his home. Every inch of him, too, but I quickly shook the perverse thought from my mind.  
"Hey Artie, we got a lady stayin' tonight. Think ye could her her somethin' t' eat?" I heard him say, and I scuttled around the corner and in through the door. 'Arthur' turned back to face him with a frown on his face, but it swiftly changed into a polite smile when he saw me. "Right… Allistor, why don't I go set up the guest bedroom and you make her something she might like. You know, since you complain that my cooking skills aren't as top-notch as yours are." He gave a polite bow to me as he passed, and I noted he was shorter than me, and had bushier brows than Allistor. They weren't as attractive on him as they were on the Scot. Allistor grumbled something under his breath that I did not understand and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows before he opened the fridge. "Allistor, I'm not hungry, though." I commented, looking around the large kitchen in awe of all of the décor. Somebody here obviously had old fashioned tastes, which I preferred to the more modern decoration. He grunted lightly and slammed the skillet down on the top of the stove and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. I looked over when I finally realized he was watching me take in my surroundings, which caused me to flush. I had no idea why this man could get such a reaction out of me, but he somehow managed to make my heart punch inside my chest with beatings that no drummer would dare attempt to recreate. This raised that accursed smirk to his lips once again; I grimaced in displeasure at my pleasure of seeing such a cocky look on his face. He sauntered over with a swagger, causing me to take a hesitant step back from him, and this continued until I backed into the table, his arms barricading me from leaving the small space he had given me. I took a deep breath to calm my beating heart, but when he pressed his lips against the most prominent bruise on my throat, the pain was too pleasurable for me to keep a sharp intake of breath from making noise. My fingers clawed at the wall behind me, his hands moving to adjust the color of my flax-colored blouse and trailed down my collarbone with kisses and bites and licks, before moving back up and kissing my lips in a hungry way that made me wrap my arms around him.  
"A-Allistor, stop harassing that young lady this instant!" I heard, causing me to scowl as my red-head ceased his "harassment" of my body. He only looked at me and smirked, seeing the almost hostile and angry expression I was suddenly sporting in response to his brother's interruptions. He grabbed my hand and led me away, and as he passed his brother, leaned down and poorly whispered "She's a fighter, Artie. Don' piss her off again or ya' could end up gettin' hurt." He chuckled, and the look on Arthur's face made me calm down, as it was horror struck. He lead me further into the house, almost to the back and up the stairs, which had a large "Do Not Enter" sign over top of the doorway. I arched an eyebrow at it, wondering if perhaps this was the part of the house that belonged to the deranged Scottish man and all of his insanity. When I stepped in and saw nothing more than alcohol bottles, papers, destroyed everything, and cigarettes, I knew my previous assumption was accurately made. I stepped over the fallen and broken glass of shattered Champaign and whiskey bottles, and he walked steadily through. He opened the large doors at the end of the hall and pulled me inside, revealing to me in only seconds what was his bedroom. He had thrown me onto the bed in a heartbeat, his hands shimmying under my blouse as he kissed against my neck and chest.  
His lips grazed my hips and my breath was faint, my mind a mess as we had not exchanged a single word with one another. Silence was my enemy.  
"Allistor." I whispered, causing him to glance up at me through his bangs.  
"I think I love you." I croaked out, staring down at him with a face full of more expression than I remember ever having shown anyone. He must have seen something amazing when he looked at me, because he stopped his kissing and lay next to me, watching me as I turned my head to watch him. I'd noted earlier he was much more strong looking than I had originally thought. The damned man was furry, too. It didn't bother me at all, though, as I found it rather rough and attractive for someone with his personality. It simply seemed to fit that he wasn't a flitting "pretty-boy" walking around. There were burns and scars that littered his body, which I took great care in kissing until he commanded me to stop treating him so gently, though I slapped my hand over his mouth and hissed at him to shut up; he seemed to be perfectly fine with me kissing the wounds after that. He surprised me, though, from my thoughts when he pushed my hair from my face. He did not look cruel, he did not look cocky or sarcastic, he was not smirking- he was smiling at me in a way that made me want to curl into his arms and never move again.  
"Well, what a shame, Natty," He chuckled, seeing the exasperated look on my face, "I know I love ye."

**A**thur woke up early to make breakfast for us. There was already two more males sitting at the table and laughing and joking when Allistor and I made our way down the stairs and into the dining area. Both of them glanced up and soon began making comments in some foreign language I did not understand, and Allistor snapped at them before pulling my chair out and offering me a sear. I took it quickly, thanking him in Russian before looking to the other two men with my cold expression. They looked down at their plates when they realized that I was not some sort of shy child. Arthur set a plate in front of me with a polite smile and said good morning, which I returned with a curt nod of the head. I was showered and dressed in something I assumed Allistor had bought to give to me for my birthday, since it was in a blue box with a silver ribbon. The neck was high on it and buttoned up- It was a deep round neckline that turned into a blue long sleeved dress with white cuffs. Around my waist was a white and black sash with a bow on the back, and I wore black stockings. I had fallen in love with the item the moment my eyes feasted on the beautiful material and color. I ate my breakfast moderately, attempting to be as lady-like and regal as possible. Arthur seemed to approve of me with how I was so calm and proper, while the other two males watched with boredom. I was starting to think I was in a zoo.  
"If I really have to ask, would you two stop staring at me?" They jumped, and Al snickered in amusement. Arthur shot them death glares while I simply continued eating.  
"I'm sorry, miss. Guess we shoulda thought about that more, huh? Name's Rhys, pleasure to meet you." Said the one with brown locks that were standing up every which way and green eyes that resembled both Allistor's and Arthur's. The other, with the gingery locks, grinned and pointed at himself proudly. "I'm Liam, pleasure to meet Allistor's girlfriend after all this time." The two siblings laughed heartedly, though I noticed Allistor's brow twitched before I scooted back, and with perfect timing. He wrapped an arm around each of their throats, causing one to hit the underneath of the table with his leg, making my orange juice spill all over the table. Arthur soon jumped up and yelled at the three, which only made the situation worsen tenfold. I grabbed my plate and ignored their fighting, nibbling on a piece of bacon that was overcooked, but not burnt. That is, of course, until something reminded me of something important. Allistor and his brothers were sprawled on the kitchen floor, laughing and heaving heavy breaths. There was playful banter and teasing between one another, their eyes closed and bodies sweaty. I took my spot next to the flaming haired Scot, and as he opened his eyes, he looked at me in confusion and slight worry. When he sat up, I found it hard to make the words form in my throat that were dancing in my head.  
"I'm your girlfriend?" I asked, my voice faltering under the pressure I was putting myself under. Allistor, though, only grinned at me and kissed my cheek.  
"Well obviously, lass."


	8. Chapter 7

Fighting can get you places. It can take you wherever it is you need to go without any use for thinking. I learned that quickly. Allistor came and supported me in every match, and once I heard him screaming at me, there was no longer any need for thinking or breathing or listening- I was ready to murder. The obnoxious screams of the crowd reverberated through my being, my breath came low and shallow as I stared down my opponent. He was much bigger than I was- He was a weight class up, because no one had registered for either of our classes they set us together. The man's coach tried to take him out; Allistor tried to keep him in.  
"She's got a killer kick waitin' for that sonuf'a bitch." He smirked, glancing over at the group who had finally attended one of my matches. I held my hands out and he wrapped them tightly, each knuckle receiving a kiss from his lips with an arrogant grin that made my stomach churn in a sickening excited way. I slipped my gloves on and let him put in my mouth piece- Alfred had made an obnoxious remark about how Allistor wanted to put a certain something else in there- and soon my head gear was put on. "Good luck then, Natty." He let out in a chuckle before turning me by the shoulders and shoving me towards the ring violently. We weren't much of a couple in public; putting us together alone was when affectionate words and whispers and touching was prominent (Even if he would get annoyed with the fact I never let the two of us make love; I wanted to preserve my virginity for a long time.) I pushed the thoughts from my head, though, and soon I was in front of the damned burly negro man in front of me. He didn't seem too worried about fighting me- Which actually pissed me off. I held my hand out, as was asked of us to show good sportsmanship among ourselves, but he refused to shake it. I rolled my eyes, listening to the announcer tell me names and height and weight and place and date of birth and- that bell, it was ringing deep into my bones. My fist connected with his face in a heartbeat. I took a step back, seeing him rub the cheek and move his jaw as he groaned; he wasn't falling back, though, but rather blew me a kiss and winked. "Like 'em when they're feisty."  
I sneered at his comment, charging forth only to have his longer arm slam into my stomach. I bit my lip and kept my breath in my lungs- they were threatening to explode from the pressure- until my knee was in his gut. He stumbled back, his hands instantly wrapping themselves around him. When he looked up, I felt the tiniest smile brace my lips and the crack of my kick on his head sent the crowd into an uproar of chants. The bell rang once again.  
"Winner of our first round- Natalia Arlovskaya!" The referee held my arm up and the crowd clapped and whistled and cheered out my name with their American accents. I walked back to my corner and saw the boys all rounding up outside it, Alfred and Francis smiling and congratulating me on a fine job, Berwald and Ludwig were looking around the building until they noticed my eyes on them and each gave me a hello and a pat- Allistor sat back and watched, drawing my curious eyes to him. But before either of us could say anything, the bell rang again and I threw myself back. The moment my feet turned my body around in a stubbornly stumbling movement, I felt a riveting pain shoot from my cheekbone to my neck, to my skull, to my soul. I opened my eyes, which filled with tears, and felt the sudden flame of rage fill my being. I ducked for the next hit- he didn't seem to expect me to recover from his cheap shot!- And put all my energy into a single uppercut; my fist connected to his chin and suddenly they were back to punching him in the face, in his stomach, my kicks were constantly slamming into him until he screamed out in pain.  
"Enough! God dammit ya' bitch!" He shouted, grabbing my wrist and throwing me down. The crowd started yelling and throwing things towards the ring and they were yelling at him in their native tongues. Even the group of young boxers who had been accompanying me today were yelling at him- I heard some French and a bit of German, and the rest I couldn't understand. The fists that were pounding my arms, in attempt to reach my face, were blocking my mind from thought.  
"Natalia!" Allistor screamed my name. He was at the ropes, but the others were pulling him back- Why? I looked forward to the man, and saw the referee trying to grab him off of me. I wriggled out from under him and pushed the referee away. "Go. I will rip him apart." I snapped, looking at the man. He stood as well, three heads taller than me- he was probably in Ludwig's weight class- and he grinned. I knew my downfall; my habit of grimacing, sneering, changing my facial expression, it gave away my actions. No, emotionless was my savior. This cold mask could get me through anything without bringing the other party pleasure, and it did now, too. He didn't know what to do when my foot was slamming against his skull. I jumped back, my arms throbbing. I knew bruises were already forming on them, but I didn't have time to look down- he was coming after me, his fists balled tightly- and I curled up, his abdomen rushing against me from my smaller stature. I side stepped out from him, my feet doing an intricate dance as he turned just as quickly, his fists moving with enough speed that I could hear the air moving from them when they passed by my constantly moving head.  
_Down.  
__**Kick.**__  
_And my foot was embedded into his stomach. He grunted, his eyes snapping shut before I slammed my bruised toes onto the canvas and swung the other around, slapping him in the ribs with the powerful kicks that could even hurt Allistor. He collapsed to his knees and the bell rang, the referee coming up and grabbing my wrist. He held it high in the air, and the fans cheered, screamed my name at the top of their lungs in a rhythmic beat.  
"Fucking bitch." I heard from my back, the man's hand grabbing hold of my shoulder. He swung me around and his fist was poised in the air for an attack against my overly protected face- My hand grabbed his hair and ripped his head back, the breath no longer flowing. "Raise your hand to me again…" The words were flowing, raging and bubbling to the surface in childish anger, "I will break your neck. I will break your arms, your legs," Was Allistor screaming at me? I still don't know. "And I will take a pretty little knife and skin this flesh from you."

Arthur was livid. He was rubbing my arms down while Allistor massaged my shoulders, Alfred was in the kitchen making everyone some sort of meat, and Rhys was out at a pub with Liam. "Allistor, what the bloody Hell did you put this girl through? Her arms are purple!" He snapped, his furry brows furrowed in anger and annoyance at his older brother. But my dearest Scot did not falter under the gaze; He only smirked and patted me harshly on the back, my mask again in place. Though I was aching in every way and pain was slamming in my being, I did not flinch. "She beat someone in my class, Arty. Aint it fuckin' respectful? Cuz I'm impressed. Te lass's got talent." He snickered at his brother's shocked face before snapping his fingers in memory. He shoved his hand into the pocket of my newly purchased trousers and dug around, earning him one of the faint gasps he loved to hear from me. He pulled his hand out and shoved the little business card in Arthur's face, a smug gleam in his emerald eyes. I'd fallen in love with that look, just as much as every other expression he gave. The blond focused on reading the scripture plastered to the back of the card, and when he finished he smiled at me with such excitement it was almost scary.  
"Wonderful! That means you'll get money and won't have to fight!" he exclaimed, but his face fell flat. I shook my head at him and Alfred wandered into the room, a plate in his hands filled with vegetables and steaks. "You're not gonna fight anymore?" He asked with an almost dreading tone in his voice, his eyes no longer a cerulean blue full of excitement. But before I could answer, Allistor did so for me. "She's fightin' til te end of te season, boys. Now calm yer shit and let's eat."

"The lights are out." Is all I said, looking at the apartment from the street below it. The window to mine and Ivan's bedroom was still nailed with the curtains drawn shut. I didn't see any movement, so they must have gone to sleep early. I hadn't been home in two weeks. They weren't even worried.  
_Do I even want to come home?_ I asked myself, something keeping my legs in place. Allistor turned back towards me, about to tell me to get my ass in gear or something, but he shut up instead. He kept his lips clamped tightly together, because I wasn't so sure this was even right. Perhaps I'd only become another burden if I went back, and those were my thoughts. I had been sending them my paycheck and living off of the Kirkland's house and money, but it was eating me away knowing they were taking care of me. I stepped forward, grasping his hand tightly, making him look down at me. As I said- we weren't much of a couple, but sleeping and talking and banter are what held us together. Not our hands and arms, not love making, not singing or praising one another. It was the constant need to insult yet compliment, to sexually appeal without being sexually appealing, to understand without a true explanation… We were more than a couple, but we were never defined by physical touch in the eyes of the public. And right now, the public was staring, its eyes burring into my hindsight. I took a breath; and in that first step I was overstepping my own lines of comfort in little pirouettes, my toes pointed perfectly as if they knew where to step to break me into a small puddle of awkwardness. The walk up the stairs was like walking through an eternally painful darkness. The lights were out in most of the rooms, and our shadows mingled lazily with those of the doors and the hall furniture. When I reached the door that belonged to my old apartment, I stared at it- was it right for me to return home after all this time? I would not apologize, if that is what they would ask of me. My stubborn tendencies would always get the better of me. Allistor put his hand on my shoulder, reassuring me of his supporting presence. Somehow, it was enough to remind me that I was strong; I was much stronger than they gave me credit for. The calloused hand was like a song of approval of me. It was all I needed. I turned the nob and opened the door, the light pouring out from the small standing lamp that was positioned in the corner closest to the couch in the living room. Someone was awake, and they heard me open the door, for their footsteps were slapping across the hardwood floors. Ivan stood in front of me, and I stood still, until he wrapped his arms around my trembling frame and held me close, his face dug into the crook of my neck like a child who lost his mother.  
"Natalia! Thank god you are home! We were so worried…" He mumbled into my hair, his arms clutching for me. He stopped and pushed from me gently, his face solemn and stern. "What is he doing here, sestra?" He asked, not once glancing back at my Scot. I shook free of the arms and stepped back, extending a hand to Allistor. "He is escorting me home. I didn't think it'd bother you if my boyfriend did such a thing…" I knew my face was contorted into feigned innocent confusion; I knew Vanya hated Allistor for even thinking about touching his younger sister, but I was in love with the man.  
I think at that moment, I loved him more than anything else.  
"I see…" Ivan said with a strained voice, attempting composure. But when I saw his smile return, I knew he was up to something. He held out his hand, and Allistor took it with an almost smug little smirk on his lips; until Ivan wrapped his arms around him in a gigantic bear hug.  
"Welcome to the family, then! I will trust you to look after and take care of my little sestra, for she is our pride." He was still smiling his childish grin, but I felt the intense threat that lingered behind it. Allistor coughed for a moment, having been caught off guard- I couldn't help but breathe a chuckle. "This means that you must now accept my lover, da?" I stared at him, my eyes suddenly widening in horror.  
"Please, if it is that damned Lithuanian bo-" He cut off my sentence by pressing his finger to my lips, and for a moment I contemplated biting the appendage so he would let me finish my sentence. But I did not, for I had only recently made up with him. He looked at Allistor. "Come for dinner tomorrow."  
I knew it was not a request.


	9. Chapter 8

Dinner was horrible. Kat and I were preparing it as quickly as possible with as much food, for she was excited that so many people would be coming to our little apartment. I, on the other hand, was not anywhere near as excited as she, as I was dreading the entire event. Allistor meeting this man was going to cause too many problems; for the damned mongrel was in love with me, not my brother, and I had even at one point broken his fingers because he tried to hold my hand. But that did not seem to deter his infatuation with me.

Katyusha had managed to get me to dress properly; I wore a black skirt that had a red belt around my waist, and my shirt was a button up white. I pulled my hair up and back with a black bow. I glared at her, who dressed in a thick wool sweater and a not-so-tight skirt as well. She only smiled calmly at me as I did the dishes, an obvious frown on my lips. I was deep in my thoughts of how to strangle Katyusha without actually hurting her later in the night when a pair of large, muscular arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me from the sink basin into their chest. I could already smell the obvious tobacco and beer on his breath, and suddenly my anger had vanished from my body. My head fell back onto Allistor's shoulder, his beard on his jawline scratching my ivory flesh. I did not mind, though, as it was very attractive, and almost ticklish. He let out a husky grunt when I tore from him, but I wrapped my arms around his waist and held my hands tightly into his shirt.  
"Hello there." He purred, an arrogant smirk on his lips. He wrapped his arms around me in return, pulling me violently against his body. I did not pull from him, but rather looked around; seeing no sign of life aside from our very fast beating hearts, I quickly pressed my lips to his. He wrapped an arm under me and lifted me up, setting me on the counter. He pulled from my lips and began to lift my skirt up; my mind was so filthy and clouded I didn't even think about what he was doing until it was over my knee. I kicked him away, frowning at him madly with a coat of red blood under my flesh. I jumped down and went back to doing the dishes, and thank god for Ivan's intrusiveness, for he walked in before Allistor could tempt me into more embarrassing acts.  
"Sestra!" He said, hugging me tightly, before moving. "Are you almost finished with the dishes? Katyusha would like you to entertain Toris and Allistor. Perhaps a board game will be in order?" He smiled at me, and I kept my eyes on the soap filled basin. "Sorry, Vanya- I think there's too many in here. Yes, too many." I said the last part with enthusiasm, but he stuck his own hand in the water and soon pulled out the drain. He looked at me and held a finger up, scolding me. "Natalia, lying is bad. You're not a little girl anymore! Go play nice." I grumbled under my breath inaudible words that would have offended my brother and stomped out into the living room, Allistor following behind me, and he continued to follow me until we entered the front room. Kat called to him to meet Toris, and I used the moment to escape into the hall closet. I looked around with a lighter, as the light bulb didn't work anymore. I dug and dug, growling out curses until I finally found our board of monopoly. I made sure all the pieces were in and all the money was accounted for before putting the things I had torn out back in their previous places. I shut the door and walked back to the others, dropping my small game on the couch with a huff. I didn't want to play this game or deal with Toris or have dinner with everyone or be around them, really. I just wanted to be cooped up in my room with Allistor to annoy me until it ended with a kiss. But I wasn't going to get that luxury today or any time soon, so I settled for sitting next to him on the floor. The beauty of the entire situation was that no one could yell at me for brushing my hand over his, or our shoulders touching, or our thighs being pressed against one another. That was more than enough physical contact for me to be content with, so I made the rest of the game easy. Ivan won, in the end, but Katyusha and I had expected that before the game even started. We ignored that, though, and Kat eventually ran away to finish dinner and I began to set the table. Allistor stayed in the front room with Toris and Ivan and I was hyperventilating.  
"Kat, why did you let this happen?" I hissed, constantly looking into the other room prepared to catch someone killing someone and someone already dead on the floor in a pool of Lithuanian blood.  
"Because it was a good idea, sestra. I want you and Ivan to be able to get along with one another, and your lovers shouldn't affect your relationship!" She smiled down at me, patting me atop my head gently before finishing the potatoes. I poured the water in the glasses and she called everyone in; Ivan's bottle of vodka was at the head of the table and I sat next to Katyusha. Toris sat across from her and Allistor across from me. The face that Toris kept glancing over at me got under my skin, but what really got me was how he and Allistor could sit next to each other without any sort of argument breaking out. Dinner went by without me needing to speak too much, which of course made my day all the better. Ivan, though, had offered Toris and Kat some of his vodka.  
Some turned into a lot.  
And my sober sister and sober pest turned into drunken fools alongside my drunken brother. The dinner table became cleared of the food and dishes used to serve us all and I had to do the dishes. I scrubbed away at the gravy on the plates, my hands pruning from the soap and intense heat of the water. I was grumbling in my home language about the frustrations of being the youngest sibling when a pair of sturdy arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into their chest. "I looked up, seeing a furry chin and piercing green eyes looking at me. He murmured something in my ear that I did not understand, making the hair on arms and neck stand on end. "You don't realize how horrible it is to know a voice can make you weak in the knees, Allistor." I commented, needing to lean onto him for support. His voice, the murmurs, the grumbles, the shouts, the accent, the way how at one point it would be snarky and the next hostile and then drop volume into a hush made my spine tingle. But I shoved him away. "You're not going to seduce me in my own home."  
He chuckled at me, that annoying smirk back on his face. "Wouldn't dream of it, luv." I rolled my eyes at him and his commentary, but soon the doorbell rang and I dried my hands on my apron. "I'll get it." I called out and pushed Katyusha to the side. I opened the door and saw a tall man, tall as Ludwig or Berwald, staring down at me. "Privet?"  
"Arlvoskaya residence?" He asked, looking at a paper in his hand. I raised a brow at him; this apartment wasn't under my name.  
"Braginski." I corrected, looking at him warily. He adjusted his black sunglasses and looked me over before nodding his head. "You're Arlovskaya, correct? You live here?"  
"Yes. I do. Yes, I am." I mumbled, feeling Allistor standing behind me. He put his hand on my shoulder and pushed me aside, stepping out and shutting the door. I waited for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only minutes, until he came back in. "What was that?" I asked, and received a shrug. "Asked how the electricity was doin'. Probably some weirdo fan boy or something." I silvery blonde brow at him, and he grinned before kissing my cheek. "I'm gonna get outta here, luv. See ya at te gym tomorro'."


	10. Chapter 9

Nothing was right after that night. Allistor was scarce around the gym for many weeks, and Ludwig was taking care of the fights and the tournaments and competitions, along with creating new training schedules for everyone. I hardly saw the man outside of the gym, unless he was waiting to drag me off somewhere new and take me to dinner or breakfast or shopping. He always rewarded me with food and a movie and shopping whenever I won a fight, and it was almost as if he was spoiling me. He bought me a coat and new dresses, new shoes, even a new bathing suit. He made sure I went and got my hair trimmed by a professional, and the women were in throws of ecstasy over my locks. All he did, though, was sit back and watch me with a smile. I liked seeing him smile like that; he seemed atop of the world when his eyes shined so brightly, he looked like a man who couldn't be touched or hurt ever again. If it was because he was spending money on me, and treating me so well, I decided I would stop complaining. When I asked Alfred about what was going on, all he did was shrug at me.  
"I don't know much about Boss's personal life, Nat. I'm just over there because Arthur's my adoptive brother. All of them are related but they were separated growing up. So they have those weird accents. Kinda neat, huh? But Artie came to America first and adopted me as his bro!" He smiled as he spoke, his face lighting up. He began to tell me a story about how at one point when he and Arthur were still living together he climbed a tree because their cat Oliver had climbed to far up and couldn't get down. I didn't pay too much attention afterwards, wondering if maybe I could get information from Arthur or Rhys or Liam.

I went home early, saying I felt as if I were going to get sick. Ludwig didn't want to clean up the mess so he gave me permission to leave. Kat was still at work and Ivan had Toris over. The two were watching the television when I walked in, so at least they weren't having sex. I went to my room and looked at all the things that were stuffed into my closet; all of the dresses and hats and skirts and shoes and boots. I took out a light blue sundress and slipped it over my head, the bodice tight and cut like a heart with two thick sleeve-like straps. Then it billowed out a little past my knees. The white and pink flowers on it made it even more beautiful, and I tied my hair up and back. I put on a nice sunhat and slipped on my stockings and shoes.  
"Vanya, I'm going to go visit Allistor."  
"Be careful, my maliutka." He waved, a smile on his face when he saw how I had dressed up. "You look beautiful, sestra."  
I said my thanks before scrambling out the door. It took me moment to figure out what way to go, since he was always with me whenever we walked to his house. I never really paid too much attention to where we were going, but now I wish I had. It took me many retries until I got to the country road that I knew would take me straight to his home. The cars that drove by would honk their horns at me if they were full of men, which would often end with my flashing my knife at them. A nice old couple asked me if I would like a ride, but I responded with a shake of the head and thanks, but it was just down the road. The sun was beating down fiercely, and I planned on making Allistor give me lemonade when I got to the house. My trek came to a halt when I noticed two fancy black vehicles in his drive way that I had never seen there before, and my heart began to thump.  
_Is he cheating on me with someone?  
_My hands were shaking. My palms were sweaty and I was ready to vomit and run home, but my pride and my ego got in the way of that. I stepped up to his front door and, with great gusto, rang the bell. I knew someone was home, so my fears were only reaffirmed when no one answered.  
_I'm going to burn all of this shit he bought me!_ I screamed in my head, biting my lip madly. No, I refused to shed a tear over some man I could easily forget! After minutes of standing, ringing the doorbell, I remembered how he never locked the door. I twisted the nob and, with luck, the door opened wide for me. I walked inside and quietly shut it, setting my hat and purse down on the coffee table next to the door that held their keys and hats. I carefully and silently slipped form my shoes that, if there were to be any noise made, it was not from me.  
I'd catch that filthy bastard cheating and someone was going to pay. I stalked down the hallways, each door being opened only a crack; no one was inside any of them. The parlor was empty, the drawing room was empty, the kitchen, the bathroom, even Allistor's section of the house held nothing for me to see! I growled out in frustration, checking the other bedrooms as well, until I remembered Arthur's favorite little sun room. I stepped down the hallway and saw that light was seeping from under the door.  
_So you were ignoring me._  
I peeked inside, but for some reason, everything was quiet. All I could see was Allistor's bright red hair as he sat on the couch, but everything else was blocked from view.  
"You were gambling, Kirkland. Using _our name_ to get you money!" A male voice threw out, gruff and scratchy. I turned away from the scene- he wasn't cheating, so I could ask him later, right? As I walked down the hall, my thoughts were going back. I've had six fights recently, and each one I was crowned victor. Was he using my skills to get money for himself? And what name was he using in order to get his money from the poor saps he cheated? As the thoughts ran through my head, a sharp tug on my hair pulled me out of thought.  
"Well! We got a rat walkin' round."  
the man from that night had my held by my hair. I struggled, but I could feel the pain in my scalp only increasing as I moved and jerked around.  
"She's a perty one, too." Snickered another, making me reach for my knife. I slashed madly, being unable to see, but when he let out a yelp and I saw he had hold of bits of my hair I went after him again. He grabbed me by my wrist and twisted it, the blade falling. The other kicked it down the hall- Oh, I had managed to snag him too- and then threw open the doors to where Allistor was sitting. He looked perplexed and shocked, then angry, and then worried when he looked at me, all emotions flashing by in seconds.  
"Who the Hell is this, Kirkland?" Asked an older man, probably in his fifties with longer gray hair that was slicked back and tied, as he puffed on a cigar. I shrugged the hands off of my and stood, but Allistor grabbed hold of my wrist and pulled me to sit next to him.  
"She's mine. And she aint got shit to do with any of this, understand? If yer pissed take it out on me but the lass 's innocent." I frowned; no one made me their property. But if I was going to get answers, I needed to ignore the situation.  
"What's been going on and why is that man who came to my apartment weeks ago here, Allistor." I demanded him answer.  
He could not avoid this any longer, he had to answer. I believe he saw in my eyes that if he said something I didn't like, he'd once again become my manager, not my lover or the man I wanted to be with forever; and so he answered me.  
"I'm in trouble. I got all my money from working with a gang and, well, started taking bets on your fights. Gamblin'. It got out of hand and now they want their money, and I aint got it." He was glaring lightly at the man in front of him, and my hands touched the cloth of my dress. The things he had been buying me were earned by me and spent on me. They were gathered illegally and now he was in trouble because of it.  
"What happens if he can't pay it back?" My eyes flicked to the man, only to see him smile at me. It made me sick.  
"We get to take him and put him to the firin' squads. Sounds fitting, don't it?"  
If I had a gun I would have held it up right then and there and blasted his head off; I would have made it a real work of art, all the brains splattering against the walls covered in blood. But I looked back to the man in front of me, and my mind was made up. "Put it against me. Everything Allistor's done, all his debts, are in my name. If they aren't paid back I'll take the punishment." The room was full of heavy breathing and silence. But we were occupied; he and I were fighting each other in a battle of dominance with just our eyes. He looked away first. "Fine. I'll write up the papers now." He swiveled in his chair and the two men escorted us out of the room to the front porch, where Allistor looked to me with a crazed gleam in his eyes.  
"Ya fuckin' crazy Nat? Ye aint getting' punished for my fuck ups!" He shouted other things at me that weren't going to change my mind until I had had enough and shoved my knife against his throat. This time, it wasn't the blunt edge.  
"You are going to shut up. I am in control of my life and if I want to risk it on then you then you had damned well better be appreciative, Allistor. "

The two men came and retrieved us from the porch about an hour later, and a single piece of paper awaited our return. Allistor was sulking, his neck was stained from the small bit of blood spilled in our confrontation, and I read over the instructions. "I expect death, not prostitution." I sneered, slamming the paper down on the table. The man looked back up at me with a smirk before he shook his head. "Doll, you should know the things we do to women aren't the same for men. This is the deal- take it or leave Kirkland with the price on his head." We stared at each other for a while before I broke; using Allistor's life against me was a cheap trick, but it worked, so he obviously knew what he was doing. The Scotsman thrashed behind me, but the two grabbed hold of his arms and slammed him on the ground. He was still struggling and they were having problems; he didn't deter even when they put the gun to his head. "Sign your full name here and we're done." The boss said, and I scribbled away my life.


	11. Chapter 10

_This is a short chapter for very many reasons. xD I'm mean happens to be one of them!_

* * *

I was terrified after those men had left. The only person who was ever given the beauty of seeing past my strong poker face was Allistor, and he was standing right next to me when the door shut. The vibrations made the house tremble, and my knees gave out. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight, everything rushing together. What had I gotten myself into? He murmured nothings into my ear, stroking my hair in an attempt at comforting me- I couldn't blame him for this, I chose to give my life to someone for him.  
For Allistor.  
Maybe I did have the right to blame him, since he put himself in the predicament in the first place by being a moron. But I didn't feel like being angry, or being frightened, or being worried or sad or anything like that. I wanted to feel loved, so I pressed my lips to his forcefully. Maybe it was a stupid decision at the time, but nothing seemed so much more right than the feeling of his lips against mine. He captured my mouth quickly, though I did not complain at all. His hands roamed around my waist until he managed to lift me up and carry me- we had been sitting on the hallway floor, my mind terribly consumed with nausea and frustration- and it was not at all romantic. Neither was being thrown into Liam's bed, but that was the closest room.  
"Lock the door." I commented, removing my stockings and grabbing the zipper on the back of my dress and pulling it down. I tore it from over my head, throwing it and knocking over the lamp on the side table when I pulled my arm back. Allistor stripped himself his shirt, already crawling onto the bed with me. In moments he pushed me roughly to the mattress, our lips locked in battle with tongues as weapons. He was a violent kisser, rough and harsh and our teeth gnashed and we often ended up biting one another, but we didn't mind; rather, we enjoyed the pain. He brought his hands up to my chest, palming one of my breasts as the other held my side. As he massaged, I let out my moans of pleasure into his lips.

Liam did not approve of what he saw when he entered his room later that day, Allistor and I sprawled out stark naked on his bed, entangled together in one another's limbs as if we had nothing left to cling to. Did either of us care at all? Not at all; a body is only a body. I swung my feet over the side of the bed, slipping my underwear on without a thought as Allistor did the same. While I continued to dress, he lit his cigar and puffed until the room was hazy and smelled of cinnamon apples and nicotine. The silence was odd, heavy and musty like mist. I pulled my dress over my head and began to brush my hair, realizing that the bruises were just barely covered by my collar. He cleared his throat loudly, and I knew something was on his mind. I glanced over my shoulder. He held his head in his hands, his face contorted into a grimace, his lips clamped tightly on his lower lip.  
"What is it?" I asked, standing from my spot and pulling my hair back so that my sunhat would be able to hold it up. The wind had picked up, and I could hear it now that we were no longer grunting and shouting. It rocked against the home, the howls sounding eerily like cries of mourning. He looked at me; and through those simple eyes I felt like crying. He snatched me into his embrace and I did not offer complaint.  
"I wish you hadn't done that, Nat." He mumbled into my hair, the smell of cigarettes and desperation overflowing from his words. The stubble on his chin rubbed against my jawline. But I didn't care very much, since I was comforted by him holding me so tightly. I wished we'd been able to be like this so much sooner in our lives. While I thought dangerously hard on this, I patted his hand, my mind already wondering when my next match would be.


	12. Chapter 11

Another fight.

It seemed as if Allistor grew even antsier as the days passed, each fight collecting me a decent sum of money that would always go to repaying his debt to the family. I made no complaint, since he would let me bum money from his family, but it was pretty frustrating; I soon began spending more time with Lili and Vash once again, stealing food from grocery stores and markets. One of my final matches was coming up soon, as the season was coming to end. If we hadn't paid back his debt, there was going to be a problem; I was certainly not becoming a whore for some old man and his lackeys. I sat on the bench inside my locker room, I could hear all of the obnoxious chatter going on outside in where the boxing ring was. I ignored it, though, as Allistor had Ludwig rubbing my shoulders. Berwald was sitting with me, the two of us playing a game of poker. We never really talked very much, but he was a great person.  
"Royal flush." I said, throwing my cards down, his face not once breaking suit. He simply threw his hand, and I shook my head; he taught me how to play and I always beat his hands, no matter how often we played the game.  
"Ludwig, where's Allistor?" I asked, taking a drink from my bottle of water. I was always nervous when he wasn't around, because he was my charm. He was my little bit of confidence that I always had standing by my side. It would be horrible if he didn't make it to my final match, wouldn't it? I pushed the thought from my head, though my nerves were suddenly acting up. I stopped them, though, staring at my hands lightly. There was a pretty diamond ring sitting on my left hand, the band white gold with "NAK" carved inside: Natalia Arlovskaya-Kirkland. I closed my eyes swiftly, taking a deep breath; jitters gone, Hell swirling in my stomach until I was ready shaking with small anticipation. Who was I going against once again?  
Right, Ludwig's brother, Gilbert.  
He was an albino about six to eight years my senior, and though he was not small like I, he was still in my weight class. I saw him once waiting outside the gym for Ludwig and talking about how awesome his little brother was for training. I was only looking out the window, but I did notice his odd hair and fancy eyes, red like strawberries, ripe in summer air. Berwald smacked my back, leaving a red mark in the shape of his large hand. I nodded my head, pulling my hair back into a ponytail with my favorite white ribbon, pulled on my gloves, and slipped on my jacket. It was a beautiful green, my name on the back- "ARLOVSKAYA N." in a text format I was not aware of. Allistor loved the color green, and that's why he bought me the robe in that color. I ignored it, though, and was thankful either way.

The crowd cheered obnoxiously, their screams making my ears ring as if they were full of bells. I climbed in; the announcer gave my stats, and then gave Gilbert's as well. We met together in the middle and shook hands- an odd act that most males never did with me- and he gave me a light punch to the shoulder.  
"Kick some ass, girly." He chuckled, walking back to his corner. I only rolled my eyes; of course, through what I thought to be kindness and respect, he had to add something so idiotic to the end. How distasteful.  
"Natalia, he won't go easy on you. Give it your all and be quick on your toes to dodge." Ludwig whispered quickly into my ear, earning a glare from the older brother. I simply nodded my head and shoved my bitepiece between my teeth and stood, waiting in the middle.  
The bell rang and Gilbert's fist made connection to my jaw in that instant.  
I stepped back, absolutely shocked by the sheer _force_ he put into a first punch! I grit my teeth, my brow knitting together in absolute frustration, the crowd suddenly silent. Gilbert held a look that was almost apologetic on his face as I stood, stunned by the simple quickness of his strike- I shook my head before slamming my foot into his ribs, knocking his breath from his lungs and earning a gasp. He stumbled back as much as I had and his smirk flashed again, his feet twisting and turning into a swift forward step. I shuffled my own feet, keeping my weight forward in case it was necessary for me to go in or move quickly- he caught onto my plan, because soon he was top heavy and prepared to snatch me if I moved too suddenly.  
It turned into a very strategic fight, and I had to get in close. I shifted no weight, but charged forward, raising my fist to strike. He raised his arms up to cover his face quickly, noticing too late that, as part of my plan, I slammed the heel of my foot into his stomach; moving his arms in instinct, I shoved my fist into his jaw and felt my knuckles _cracking_ from the pressure applied. He stumbled further back, blinking his eyes before lurching forward, slamming his fists into my stomach- thank God he was avoiding my chest- and wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me in place as he slammed his fist again and again into the soon to be bruising flesh. I heard the announcers making their commentary, but the words fell on my now deaf ears. I wrapped an arm around his neck, bringing his head close to my chest and shoving my knee upwards in my deepest attempt to knock him from his brutal attack. He ceased momentarily, shoving my knee away- I grabbed his hand and pulled it back, bringing him to the ground with me. I messed up- I messed up, he was atop me, the jerking of my head and craning of my neck keeping his fists from smacking my face into the canv- no, no, he got me, and I felt the tearing of the skin on my lip from my gnawing teeth, the blood pouring from my gums. I glanced up at him, his eyes wide when he saw the blood pouring from my mouth.

"What, you can't handle your own fucking handiwork, little boy?" I spat, shoving my fist into the side of his head. He grunted, and taking that single opening I shoved him off of me and rolled him over, digging my knuckles into his cheekbone until there was blood.  
That's what I really wanted- blood. I continued, pounding, pounding, and abusing this privilege to destroy another person until they were nothing but blood and bones and torn open flesh beneath me, but he not once surrendered. Not once. The referee snatched my hand, yanking me from atop the German boy before I truly hurt him. I looked around, the voices not registering in my ears at all until Gilbert stood; he wiped away the blood that had dripped from my lips on to his face, and I wiped away the blood as well. I wriggled my nose, yanking my gloves off and feeling my face. I pulled them back, realizing he had gotten me horribly. My nose was gushing blood and there was a cut on the side of my face, my ear dripping blood as well. I sat down on my corner, letting Ludwig and Berwald examine me closely. They poured water over my head and wiped away the dry blood in my nose, shoving a tissue up my nostril to keep it from bleeding. They cleaned up my lip and applied some sort of sealing paste to the cut on my cheekbone, and looked at my ear. Cleaning it free of blood they began speaking to me, and I nodded my head that I could hear them.  
"Is there another round?" I asked, looking around to see if Allistor had shown up. He had not.  
"Ja, I think so. The crowd is loving this exchange between you two. In the first five minutes more seats were being sold. You've made a ton of money, Natalia." He said, trying to reassure me of the contract I had made. I nodded my head at his answer, taking a drink from my water bottle and spitting it onto the floor outside the ring. He only sighed, fixing my ponytail and pushing me forward.  
"See you've got some real bite in ya Nat!" Gilbert hollered, grinning at me in a way that made me frown. I shook his hand a second time and licked my lips, feeling the cracks filling with my tongue. I pondered how painful it would be to be kissed, though I went back to thinking about nothing more than blood.  
Blood was good. Blood meant I could win; it meant I would win. And when that bell rang and went in for the kill- foot to his stomach, locking my hands together, slamming my fists into his face and forcing him back with a stumble.  
_My body aches so bad…_  
That fist against my face, busting my nose again, broke me from my thoughts and caused me to focus. The words of the screaming crowd were blurring into fuzzy images, and their faces mixing together like serpents.  
_Think about what you're winning tonight._  
I stepped forward, swinging my foot down- missing, but just fast enough to slam my fist into his arm. I stepped back, his swing missing only inches from my face as I thrust my arm forward and slammed into his nose- saliva on my knuckles- and the blood beginning to ooze.  
We were tired and worn, but we did not falter, wrapping an arm around his neck and shoving him to the ground, slamming my fists down onto his arms until the bell sang again. I looked up, my shoulders falling back.  
_This hurts.  
_"Natalia Arlovskaya, being the one who landed the most hits in this round, will be declared victor."  
I looked over, seeing gilbert grimace and frown and slam his fists down onto the canvas. I saw Berwald clapping, I saw Ludwig give me a smile, I saw the people standing and clapping as my belt was buckled over my shoulder, since my waist was too small to fit it. I collapsed.

My eyes fluttered open, two pairs of worried blue eyes, one set stern and the other almost emotionless staring into my own violet-blue orbs. I took a breath, blinking, and then looking around. I was at the arena still, the people gone and the arena still splattered with my blood. I grabbed Ludwig's shoulder and tried to pull myself up, but my arms hurt too much. He pushed me back down and shook his head. "We tried to call Boss, but he didn't answer his phone, Natalia." He informed me, earning a grimace. "So Allistor is too busy to speak with me?" I asked, running a hand through my hair, pushing my bangs from my eyes. Ludwig bit his lip, shaking his head.  
"I am sure he had reasons to not show up—"  
"To avoid being beaten by her, of course." I flinched. I looked over, seeing the old man from before smiling down at me, his hair pulled back once again. "What are you doing here?" I sneered, managing then to pull myself up and lean against the Swede behind me. I found it odd how these men had grown to be brothers of different kinds to me in only such a short time.  
"I came to tell you, you win. You beat my price by three thousand dollars-"  
"Three _thousand?_" I asked, in disbelief looking back to Ludwig. The man only nodded his head at me, lighting a cigar and puffing on it a moment. He glanced back to me before letting out a sigh. "Allistor bailed town, Natalia. He skipped out. He didn't think you were going to win against that German." His voice lowered, the true intentions behind it. He wanted me against Allistor, on his side.  
"You're lying." I hissed under my breath, my hand clinging to the ring on my finger in comfort. Allistor would not leave me after so much. I glared at him, my voice venomous as I spoke. "I will not tolerate you undermining my Allistor! He is a good man- you may not know him the way _I know him!_ I have known him in ways you cannot fathom; when he is happy, when he is in full despair in pleasure in the most horrible pain imaginable!" I shouted, trying my hardest to stand, though my legs were telling me not to even attempt. The man only watched me, brow raised. He shook his head, turning from me.  
"I see. I hope all goes well for you, Arlovskaya."

* * *

I sat outside his house, knocking on the door. No one answered, and no vehicles were in the driveway, but I had hoped someone had stayed behind their family trip to see me or explain to me what had happened. Much to my dismay no one did, and so I resorted to taking an hour picking the extremely picky lock that held shut the door to my dearest Scottish bastard of a future husband. When I heard the familiar click that indicated my entrance had been granted, I put the pin back in my hair and fixed my bow. I took a breath, filling my lungs and then releasing them from the torture. My body still ached, my cheek was bruised and my lip was scabbed lightly. They said there would be no scars, and if there were, it could easily be covered in make-up.  
My modeling career was still secured.

I stepped inside, and my eyes widened.

Nothing at all littered the hallway; no coats on the coatrack, no hats on the table, no cigarette butts on the floor and no pictures in frames hanging on the walls. I stepped further into the house, slamming open each and every door with a might that made my bones ache in angst. No room had anything in it; wallpaper torn, beds taken out, there was no sign of life.  
He was gone.


	13. Chapter 12

c

My cut finally disappeared from my face. It had been two months, the doctors had told me I was healthy, and Allistor had never come back.  
I checked every day until word came of my year long trip to Europe.  
Katyusha and Ivan were ecstatic for my new success not only in my fighting but also modeling, and were even happier to see that I had nothing they desired me to change about myself. I ignored their constant praise and doting over my new career, and spent one night with Lili and Vash.  
"How are you doing?" Lili asked me, her hair having grown to her shoulders. She mixed the batter of the cupcakes we were making lightly, green eyes trained on my face.  
"I'm fine. Spasibo." I replied, mixing the ingredients and colors to make icing that would surprise Vash's eyes when he came back. He'd recently gotten himself into a nearby college, and could commute to the school. He was in the campus library studying for his exams, and Lili and I were entertaining ourselves the night before my departure.  
"And…" She began, eyes flicking to my face before back to the pan she was pouring the batter in, "How is it going with searching for Allistor?"  
"He is gone. And I am going to Europe. Allistor is a part of my life that will be left behind. I will not preserve it." I stated once again, making another can of icing pink on accident, having thought it was orange. I frowned, letting out a groan before adding yellow and red to attempt making it orange.  
_Why did he leave me?_ It was a thought that often formed in the middle of the night, in my dreams, but mostly in my nightmares. It would often happen that we would be sitting together, on the edge of the ring, and he would smile at me. I would stare back, entranced, and then he would jump down. His feet would hit the cement floor with a slap, and he would walk away, waving good-bye as I reached out. When I would try to jump and follow, a tall black man would hold my legs down, his unruly hair and sharpened horns brushing against my flesh until his nails slashed my skin. I shuddered, feeling Lili's fingertips brushing the sewn cut that had been inflicted only two months ago on my shoulder. I had done it to myself- in the middle of a nightmare, still asleep, in a desperate attempt to wake up. I shook her hand from my shoulder and continued mixing, my mind going blank until I heard the front door slam shut. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Lili give a smile before prancing from my side, out the door, and down the hall.  
_What is that girl doing?_  
And Vash entered the kitchen, my head already facing back to the icing. He walked in, slipping his jacket off and looking to the cupcakes in the oven before I heard his footsteps fall silent. Lips pressed against my cheek, but I slammed my hand into his face and shoved him away.  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I hissed, throwing the tools in my hands down on the counter.  
"Nat, he's gone." He grumbled, stepping back. I frowned, before pushing him aside.  
"Just because Allistor is gone doesn't mean I'm free." I snapped, grabbing my bag off of the couch and shoving my feet into my shoes.  
"I never said that! But I've been waiting for you for years, Nat!" He yelled, and he said something else, too, but I had already slammed the door shut and began walking home.

"How is Toris, Vanya?" I asked as we sat together on the couch, a cup of tea in my lap and a bottle of vodka in his. He offered me a sincere smile of happiness that I'd recently come to terms with my loathing of the Lithuanian and allowed them to be together without complaint. He glanced down at my hand, and his eyes widened only a fraction. I had sold the ring. Why would I keep it? It had simply meant too much, and hurt too much to keep all of a Scotsman's lies on my finger. "He is well, little sister. Spasibo for caring so much." He chuckled, seeing me roll my eyes. I was too tired these days to even make a snappy comment in return to him. Katyusha was packing my bags, since I was always bad with doing such things. She came out of my room with tears in her eyes, though she was smiling to the best of her ability.  
"My little sestra is growing up so fast!" She finally cried out, wrapping her arms around me in a bone crushing embrace. I patted her back as I pulled away, earning a groan of sadness from her- maybe disappointment or annoyance- but I ignored it. She sighed and wiped her tears from her cheeks and smiled, before looking to the clock on the wall.  
"Let's go, then, brother and sister. She will miss her plane."

Wales was beautiful. We spent very little time in that country, and really only went there to quench my thirst of curiosity. It was not truly to my tastes, and not somewhere I could see myself sleeping each night.

France was too lively in Paris, and their strange customs made me grimace. My manager took me to a nude beach, thinking I would find beauty and be impressed with how open all these people could be. I simply shook my head and asked to leave, displeased with everything I saw. The food was delicious, and we watched a small dance in the Moulin Rouge, which I learned meant red windmill, the night before our departure. I remembered faintly that this was once Francis's home, and I was seeing it while he was stuck in America.

And I traveled for a year all over the continent of Europe, my days spent doing hundreds of photo-shoots. I rose to popularity mostly in the United Kingdom, America, and the Slavic nations. I often found myself speaking in Russian or Belarusian in my interviews, only to impress the fans of those countries who were so excited to see someone from their country so famous. The questions often focused around how I enjoyed my time in Europe, if I planned on going back to America any time soon, but one day, someone brought up the fact that, as a young model, I was single.  
_"Is there any special guy out there for you, Miss Arlovskaya?"  
"Special guy?" I asked, raising a brow at the man in curiosity. He simply nodded his head, his smile widening.  
"A man you love."  
"Love?" The word seemed so foreign to me I hadn't thought about finding another lover. I gave myself and offered my eternity to Allistor, and he was gone. Who could take such a place, or even want a woman like me?  
"Nyet. I do not think I shall ever marry."  
"Why not?" He asked, the smile wiped from his face and replaced with a look of genuine worry and sorrow. Reporters were good at acting, weren't they?  
"Because I don't have the time to handle another heartbreak."_

Maybe I gained popularity for how open I was. It never bothered me to answer the questions sent in by the fans. I went on to shows and would talk to the audience.  
"How big is your family?"  
"I have one brother and one sister. I was an orphan."  
"What do you do with the money you earn?"  
"I send the most of it to my brother and sister so they do not have to work."  
"Have you ever had a lover?"  
"I have."  
"Where is he?"  
"I don't know."

And so on went my days. He did not cross my mind often, but neither did my family. My mind was swarmed with trying every sort of alcohol there was available. Blue moon? It was alright. Absolute Vodka? I will always prefer vodka, and I enjoyed these brands. Henessey? I've had better, but it was decent for when I was too lazy to go buy something else for the fridge. Johnny Walker wasn't on my list, but sometimes I had to deal with it when my manager came over to get drunk. Chivas Regal? Never. I hated everything about the type and if it were to be served, I'd leave and go back to my hotel. It was rude, but as a woman who could really appreciate alcohol, I found it tacky and over-priced. I liked Moet Chandon when I was at a ball rather than a party, but those were rare and so sparse that I hardly tasted the drink and would divulge myself in it. I was always appreciated in my shoots, interviews went well, public appearances could never tell I'd drank a bottle of vodka an hour before, so I never found it an issue or found a reason to stop my drinking habits. Katyusha would yell at me the few times she would call and I would be suffering a hangover, but that no longer mattered to me.  
My heart ached so terribly that all I could hear was how the muscle screamed for release from the hold that stupid boxer still had over it. I needed this. I needed to forget.  
I just wanted to empty once again.  
And, after a year, I was empty. And I was finally content.


	14. EPILOGUE

**EPILOGUE**

_"Natalia! What's up you beautiful woman?"  
"Privet, Lizaveta. I see you've become more informal since our last twelve interviews." I mumbled, sitting down and crossing my legs lightly as she laughed. I'd been on this show sixteen times, and she was usually the person who spoke to me most. She really seemed to love me, though I found her attitude perfectly annoying as Hell. She smiled at me with excitement, and her fiancé came on stage. He was actually Lili and Vash's father, who ended up starting a very popular show with his wife, who knew a lot from reading magazines daily. His name was Roderich.  
"Privet, Mr. Edelstein. How have the children been?" I asked, only to receive a slight glare from the Austrian. "Perfectly well, thank you." He commented, sitting next to me.  
"I heard you were going back to America, Nat. When's that going to happen?" Eliza asked me, smiling as if she did not sense the hostility between her fiancé and I. I managed to look back to her and shrugged for a moment.  
"I think my manager said we would depart tomorrow, actually. It's been a year since I've seen my brother and sister, so they must be excited. I can only look forward to Katyusha pulling me into a crushing embrace and crying about how much she's missed her little sestra."  
The crowd laughed, and I ignored it.  
"Are you planning to do anything special? Like… Maybe finally meet a guy?" She asked with a wink, leaning over the table to look at me with a sly grin. I simply rolled my eyes at her, gaining a chuckle from many of the audience members. Gossip, how they adored it.  
"Nyet. I told you before- men and women do not hold my interest and love is almost like my forbidden fruit. I simply cannot eat it because I know better than to turn myself over to such an evil thing."  
She frowned, heaving a heavy sigh before slapping my arm.  
"You're so serious all the time! Get up, go out, have fun, live your life!" She shouted, earning cheers from the audience. I only shook my head.  
"My life was lived being a thief. I fought for this job, Lizzy. I will not ruin what I have because of loneliness. No man shall capture my heart. I refuse."_

The plane ride was torture for me. This was my fourth year long trip to Europe and Asia, and I was now twenty-five years of age. I was aging, but it hardly looked like such. I detested heights, so I was awake for most of the ride. The hostess women often asked me if there was anything I wanted, and I would always respond with "a refill" and hold out my empty mug of vodka. I drank enough to lose my interest in staying awake and lay my head back, the sound of my manager's, Eduard Von Bock, snoring softly next to me lulling me to a deep slumber. I could have slept no more than two hours, but the dream I had was surely an ill omen. In my dream, the plane had crashed; it set ablaze, but the fire was extinguished when it flew into the ocean. Being ever alert and quick thinking, I would get me and Eduard out and save us. We would swim away, our bodies weary and in constant pain from the constant moving. We would wash ashore on an island, far from anywhere we could think of, and no land could be found. And while we built ourselves shelter and found food, we realized that eventually, we would die, and no one would know what happened. We would die without being found. Would anyone even look for us? And I would have ended up either letting Eduard be my self-proclaimed husband or kill him if he tried. And I had murdered him to keep what little bit of sanity I had intact for two more months.

I woke up quickly, my eyes shooting to the blond next to me. He mumbled something under his breath and his glasses were falling from the bridge of his nose, but I fixed them for him before shaking him awake. He looked at me with clouded eyes before taking his glasses from his face and cleaning them with the hem of his shirt. I ignored the way he looked at me; he knew I despised flying, and that if I slept on a plane, I always had a nightmare. But I ignored it and waited awake for another hour until the plane finally entered the terminal in New York. I stood form my seat and stretched, my bones cracking and muscles aching from how long I sat in the chairs. We left the plane and terminal, entering my own personal 1954 Mercedes W 196. It was a racing car I had made specifically for me, but when it was produced I paid extra to have them add a second seat to it and make it double wide. It was twice as much, but I paid for it. He climbed in on the driver's side and started the vehicle up, looking over at me and sighing when he saw that I was slumped down in my seat and already nodding off. But I managed to stay awake until we got to Ivan and Katyusha's new house in Queens, pulling into the driveway with a roar from my engine before it was cut. He opened the door for me and got out my bags, pulling them into the front of the house. I was attacked by hugs and kisses by my two siblings, and soon they forced me into their dining room.  
"Surprise!" Shouted all of the men from the boxing club; Alfred, Berwald, Antonio, Ludwig, Francis, Gilbert, all of them. Vash and Lili were getting along with them as well, smiling as they all stood around the room, the place full of food and gifts and smiling faces that I had not seen for over a year.  
Was I really spending all my time taking pictures while they were here? This is where I really wanted to be!  
We laughed, a lot. They had been watching all of my interviews and noticed that I was getting better with my bitter personality. They said I did not snap as much, either, and they were glad that I found other things to talk about aside from boxing. But I wanted to talk about all of them, not myself.  
Alfred was working with Francis in a restaurant on his free days when he wasn't doing professional boxing tournaments. The fact that he was working with Francis caught me off guard, since he was decently lazy. But he could cook all American food perfectly, so it didn't surprise me they were a big hit.  
Ludwig had met a young Italian girl. They were to be wed sometime soon, and he really wanted me there. He even introduced me to her, and she was a bit ditzy. She ate a lot of the pasta, too, but I made no complaint.  
Berwald had recently met a young Fin, and said he loved this Tino person very much. I gave him my congratulations and told him I hoped the best for him and his lover.  
Antonio was now living in an apartment with someone he lived with as a child. It was an Italian boy with Arabian blood, who was foul tempered and needed to control his language about as much as I did. But he was a decent thing.  
Ivan and Toris had broken up, and Ivan was now seeing a Chinese woman. I found her company interesting, and I was pleased with how she kept my brother in line when he tried to do things he knew got under my skin.  
We enjoyed ourselves so much, I thought seriously about ending my career. I could do American only shoots, right? I could do something like that? My contract was ending now anyway, so I could demand something like this in my next. As we sat and ate our dinner, a knock sounded from the door of the house. Katyusha smiled and shook her head when I stood to answer it.  
"I'll get it, sestra. Stay with your friends."  
I sat down once again; taking a bite of the cake Kat and Lili had made for my arrival. We were all still laughing when she entered once again, smiling at me.  
"Natalia, there's a man here to see you. His name is Arthur."

I shoved him out of my house and followed, slamming the door shut behind me. My mind was racing with confusion and anger and frustration. How dare he come back?  
"What do you want, Arthur? Spit it out!" I shouted, turning to him with an animosity that would strike fear into a raging bull.  
"I came to tell you that we've managed to get back to the states. Allistor is in the hospital now and he saw one of your interviews-"  
"To Hell with that Scottish bastard!" I screamed, and I heard the noises from inside the house soften considerably. I bit my lip, cursing my temper before turning back to Arthur. "He can rot in Hell for what he did. Leaving me on my own, without as much as word of good bye. He could have had the balls to come tell me we were over." I spat, my voice lower now as to not raise awareness of my distress from the others. Arthur only nodded his head lightly, before patting my shoulder gently. I shook him away. "I'll come by tomorrow."

* * *

I decided to wear black. Black symbolized the end of memories. It meant death. It meant mourning. But it also meant a new beginning. My hair remain pin straight and down, though my hat was black and it covered a bit of my face with a veil. I slipped on my black leather gloves and waited outside. Katyusha and Ivan were gone out to eat for the evening, and I was waiting on Arthur. When he finally pulled into my driveway I walked over. I slapped his hand from the door handle. I didn't want him trying to be a gentleman to me. I loathed him at that point for all that had been done to me, and how he didn't seem to care how badly I'd been hurt. I sat in the car, my hands folded neatly in my lap and my purse next to me. We'd been silent the car ride, until he finally coughed.  
"He just got out of surgery this morning. So please be gentle. Unless he's up and walking, it's best to remain calm with him."  
I simply stared out the window, my somber and cold face making him shut up quickly. We pulled into the parking lot and he shut off the engine, taking a moment before turning to look at me. He opened his mouth to speak, but soon closed it, most likely deciding against it since I most likely did not look too happy. I stepped from the vehicle and into the hospital, and all eyes were glued to me.  
"I'd like to see Allistor Kirkland, please." I said to the secretary, who simply nodded her head told me the room and floor number. I thanked her lightly before stomping away into the halls, an antsy Brit trailing behind me as I ignored his presence. When we reached the room I had been told, he told me to stay in the hallway. I nodded my head, watching him enter. I pressed my ear to the door, but all I could hear was "I think this could end poorly" and "What'ye talkin' about now, dumbass?"  
So it was not Allistor's plan to come see me. I snorted and rolled my eyes; of course he didn't want to see me. He was no more than a coward now. Arthur headed back to the door and opened it, looking at me with worried eyes. I nodded my head, and he let me pass. I saw Allistor lying in his bed, his arm over his eyes and a cigarette in his fingers. I stood beside his bed, waiting to see if he would look at me or remain in his current position.  
"Dammit, Arthur. I said I don' want anythin' so get te fuck outta me room-" He looked up, and his eyes widened. I am sure my expression did not change.  
"What a saccharine look on your face, boss. It reminds me of when you saw me in your house, signing my life to some family boss mob man—"  
"Shut te fuck up." He sneered, eyes narrowing in sudden anger. "Oh, have I said something wrong?" I asked sarcastically, already angry and full of hatred that was slowly boiling.  
"You seem so stark four years later, sitting in this hospital room. I thought you'd learned your lesson when it came to playing with the big boys. Seems you just don't have that certain aleatory element, do you?" I mused, bitterness creeping into my voice. Yes, he heard it.  
"I left because they threatened me family, ye damn woman." He growled, looking down at his hands.  
"You floundered about in this world, didn't you?" I asked, a smug smirk crawling onto my face.  
"Well lucky you. You got what you wanted in the end, right? Your freedom. Your cowardice has known no bounds and now that I see how little I have ever meant to you, you are the last man on Earth I will _ever_ be compelled to seek company with again." I stood, staring at him. He made no movement, no commentary. I'd gotten how horrible I had felt for years out to him, and that was all I needed. I turned sharply on my heel, my feet ready to carry me far from this man, but his hand latched around my wrist and pulled me back.  
"I didn't leave ye 'cause I didn't love ye, idiot. Yer bein' daft now, sayin' these things ye hardly mean and all that bullshit." He sighed, shaking his head, refusing to give me my arm back as I tugged, trying to get away. He simply looked back up at me.  
He'd grown so old, but it didn't look bad at all. He had a scar on his chin, cutting into the red fur and his eyes were tired. He looked in actual pain, and it hurt.  
It hurt me.  
"I would be a fool to let you have power over me once again." I whispered hastily, tugging on my arm sharply. He let go; he was weaker than I remembered. But as I turned to leave, he jumped from the bed, but stumbled. He caught himself and let out a grunt and then a hiss of pain, causing me to turn around.  
"What happened to you?" My voice was weak. He'd been given a prosthetic leg this morning, which was what he was in surgery for. So why did he come back to America? Wouldn't it be safer in Europe or wherever they went? I picked him up the best I could and helped him back onto the bed, covering his legs with the blanket. "We left 'cause they weren't given up, even if ye paid back. He ripped up yer contract, said he'd take te money and leave ye be. But not me n' the family. So we left, no time to warn ye. I didn't think ye'd be so angry and hate me so much." He looked pained to imagine what he had put me through; why did it hurt me to see him like this?  
"I'll buy ye a new ring. Take ye wherever ye want t' go. Just let me have ye again, Nat. I don't want t' live without ye!"  
I looked at my hands, biting my lip. It hurt. It hurt _so damn much_. I was already crying, my shoulders shaking and sobs racking my entire body until he pulled me into his arms and held me tight.

* * *

I had worn black. Black was for the death of memories. It was for death. It was for mourning. It also meant new beginnings. That was what Allistor and I received that day. That was the promise we made that moment; that was the promise we made on our wedding day, and that was the promise he made me when he lay on his death bed. And I have worn black every day since. I know I won't last much longer, for a broken heart can only survive for so long. But at seventy-six, and five months after his departure, I will still wear black. Because every death, and every day of mourning, will give way for a new beginning. God is calling me. And an eternity with my Scot is my new beginning; I only pray He takes me soon.

* * *

__The young man closed his book, his eyes blinking repeatedly. Natalia Arlovskaya was an infamous name in his homeland, America. It was the name of his grandmother. He remembered how cold she was, how easily angered she could be if you mentioned her brother or sister's names. But she was an old woman with a rough life, and the man's mother tried to explain.  
"Peter, she's easily hurt. If only you knew what she'd been through, you'd see her through different eyes."  
He'd always scoffed at the idea! His grandfather on the other hand was _amazing._ He was strong, and his stories were the best; being a pro boxer and owning his own fight club, how could he have been any more cool? He never spent time to get to know Natalia. He never wanted to give her a chance, to see the other side of her.  
He lay his head on his arm, biting his lip and he cried, his fingers pulling the blonde hair on his head. His mother, at the funeral of his grandmother, had given him this book. It was written by Natalia, about her life. About Allistor. And he never realized how she'd lived; she was always in pain. Always. His wife pat his shoulder, kissing him gently before looking at him with sad brown eyes. She was from Australia, and she always adored Natalia. She had given her a chance.  
"I'm happy her prayers were answered." He choked out, happy that two days after this book was finished, she passed away.  
"I'm so happy she's no longer in pain."


End file.
